New Delhi, June 23: Jerome Guth, head coach of the men’s and women’s saber teams from Japan, expressed his views during the Senior Asian Fencing Championship 2026 held at India Mandapam. This marks his first visit to India, and he noted that his experience has been positive both on and off the field.
Speaking with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Guth stated, “This is my first trip to India. I have never been here before. We are happy. Since we arrived in Delhi, everything has been well organized—hotel, shuttle, competition timing, all of it.”
At 41, Guth remarked, “In terms of saber, India is still an emerging country. Over the past decade, Bhavani Devi has been an excellent female fencer. She competed in the Tokyo Olympics, and I know her well. She is active on the circuit, and I see her often.”
Guth believes that India’s true potential remains untapped. As the world’s most populous country, he finds it perplexing that the Indian team competes with only two or three fencers instead of a full squad of twelve.
He highlighted Bhavani Devi’s progress and the gradual improvement of Indian fencing on the international stage, noting these achievements have occurred despite the sport not being recognized as a mainstream discipline in the country. “I think they will continue to advance from here,” he added.
Guth attributes the success of the Japanese model to strong leadership, high-performance support, and grassroots planning all coming together. He believes that if these elements align, India could mirror Japan’s remarkable journey in fencing over the past two decades. “Fencing was a small sport in Japan 15, 16, or 20 years ago. The government invested, and we are now seeing the results.” He also emphasized the growing trend of hiring foreign coaches in India.
His confidence stems from the Japanese saber team, which has won 45 international medals in the last 3-5 years. The saber team also qualified for the Olympics for the first time and secured a bronze medal in Paris 2024.
Guth’s saber team achieved four podium finishes at the New Delhi competition, with the women’s team winning gold, and both the men’s and women’s team saber events earning silver medals, along with a bronze in the men’s saber.
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