Al-Qalam 
Imaan (18) of Johannesburg is hoping that her string of successes in the sport may get her selected for the Olympics, writes Nabeelah Shaikh.
South African fencing superstar Imaan Cassim is one step away from reaching her Olympic dreams. The 18-year-old from Johannesburg is on her way to Algeria to compete in the fencing zonal qualifiers.
If she makes the cut, it will enable her to compete in the Olympics.
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. Imaan and her sister Aaliyah, 17, have both excelled in fencing nationally and internationally. They started their journey four years ago, after being motivated by their mother to try their hand at the sport. Since then, they haven’t looked back, and their fencing skills have led to their being awarded many accolades.
She recently returned home with two silvers and one bronze medal after both sisters competed in the March African Fencing Championships held in Cairo, Egypt.
Their mother, Farhana Cassim, said the competition was tough, but the girls managed to excel and bring home good medals. She also said she was grateful to the Waqf organisation, Awqaf SA, which sponsored the girls so they could travel and participate in the African Championships.
“It was a good learning experience for both of them, and I am proud of their achievements. What they have been able to achieve is no easy feat,” said Cassim.
She said they have been working extremely hard, adding that training to become faster and stronger at the sport has been recognised.
She said they initially took up fencing as something they could do for fun and it grew into a real passion.
“They started doing well. Their coach started pushing them and said they should take the sport seriously, and so they did. This resulted in them starting to participate in several competitions,” said Cassim, who also fences.
Cassim says she’s looking forward to her daughter’s participation in Algeria next week, and being selected for the zonal qualifiers was an incredible accomplishment.
“If she qualifies, she will represent South Africa at the Olympics. It was a process to get there. She had to rank first regionally and nationally and then get a high ranking in Africa. Then they select their top players for the zonal qualification. You get zonal qualifiers for each region Africa, Asia and Europe will all have zonal qualifiers, and then they bring their top fencers to the Olympics. If she qualifies, she will represent South Africa in the senior women’s category at the Olympics. She’s nervous because she’s the youngest participant currently. She has been training so hard for this moment. During Ramadan, she was so dedicated and she trained while she was fasting. She’s nervous but she’s also confident in her abilities,” said Cassim.
Imaan says years of dedication and hard work have finally been noticed.
“The hours of training and mindful tactics have all come into play. I have been pushing myself physically, and mentally with my dedicated coach Desi Lambreva almost every day for the past six months,” said Imaan.
She says her goal since she started fencing was to someday reach the Olympics.
“I am so grateful that I made it to the qualifiers with duas and hard work. I am confident I will be selected. My message of motivation to the youth in South Africa is no matter what the obstacles are, if you’re determined enough you could reach heights you thought would be impossible,” said Imaan.
Both Imaan and her sister Aalyiah are currently being home-schooled. They are also completing their Hifz while juggling their fencing dreams.
“The reason we chose fencing amongst all other sports is because it intrigued us. There is just something about putting on a mask and holding a sword in your hand, which makes one seem brave and strong. It also feels as if you’re always thinking about your next move, which keeps our minds active and busy all the time. It’s conditioning not just your body, but also your mind. It’s a sport that shows us that girls can also play with swords,” said Imaan.
She said they loved the feeling of suiting up and feeling like they were going to battle. The girls have looked up to their fending role model, Ibtihaj Muhammad, a USA fencer who fences in her hijab.
