Aryan, cousin of Lakshya Sen, eyes gold in fencing at Khelo India Youth Games
Aryan Sen, a first cousin of Lakshya Sen, is looking to make a mark for himself in the world of sports, just like his brother. But the only difference is, while Lakshya is one of the best in the world in badminton, fencing is the preferred sport for younger Aryan, who is still unknown in his field.
The latter is eyeing a gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games 2022, Madhya Pradesh, which starts from January 30 to February 11. “My mother Sonali Sen was the first to introduce me to two-three different kinds of sports because she was a sportsperson herself. She was a national champion in table tennis,” said Aryan, recalling his initiation into fencing.
“From there I took to fencing and have been at it since 2015,” he added. The youngster already has international medals to his name. “I won bronze in the Asian Championships last year,” he said of the Asian Cadet Championships in Uzbekistan last February. Aryan won the medal along with “good friend” Lokesh Vemani from Telangana and two others in the men’s epee team event.
“I remember committing some mistakes in my duel early on because of which I fell behind and could not recover. Kazakhstan won gold and the hosts won silver,” he recalled. But for now, he only wants gold from KIYG.
“I want to win gold,” he said confidently. However, he is also looking beyond the Games. “I have another Khelo India ranking tournament coming up in Cuttack after this and then I also have to appear for the trials of the Asian Championships as I am among the top six in the country.
“I also aim to qualify for the senior nationals from the state this year and do well in the selection trials as well,” said Aryan.