Nagpur: A year after she became Nagpur’s first National Games medallist in fencing, 23-year-old Shruti Joshi added yet another first to her illustrious career.Born to a middle-class family in Mangalwari near Itwari, Shruti scripted history by becoming Nagpur’s first fencer to represent India in the World Fencing Championship slated to be held in Hong Kong from July 22 to 30.The Fencing Association of India named Shruti in the 20-member India team for the nine-day World Championship — a qualifying tournament for the LA Olympic Games. Shruti is a part of the four-member sabre women’s team of India comprising Shreya Gupta, Jefarlin Jani and Aakhri.Daughter of Dharmendra Joshi, a private car driver, and mother Saroj, a homemaker, Shruti will look to open her account on the international points table during the Hong Kong championship. She was selected for the preparatory camp of the Indian team after finishing in the top four positions of the senior nationals.After becoming Nagpur’s first National Games medallist in fencing, Shruti told TOI about her target to represent India in the 2028 LA Olympic Games.Shruti said, “Now my immediate target is to do well in the upcoming World Championships and earn some international points, which will eventually help me achieve my target to qualify for the LA Olympics.”Last month,Shruti was a member of the Indian sabre team during the 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championships held in New Delhi.She is training under Sagar Lagu at the SAI Centre in Kerala.Members of Maharashtra Fencing Association and Nagpur Fencing Association congratulated Shruti for her achievement and expressed the hope that she will deliver an excellent performance in the World Championship.
