As Team Singapore prepares for battle at the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, its contingent includes several up-and-coming athletes, many of whom are making their debuts and have the potential to be Singapore’s future sports stars. TODAY’s countdown coverage of some of these talented youths concludes today with a focus on fencer Amita Berthier.

SINGAPORE – Last November, Amita Berthier took a gap year and uprooted her life in Singapore to move to the United States to advance her fencing career.

The decision was taken after she attended a training camp at Marx Fencing Academy five months earlier and realised the number of opportunities she would have there were far greater than back home.

“Many doors are open for me to do well not only in fencing, but every aspect of life down here,” she told TODAY recently over the phone from Boston. “I felt like this (environment) could make me much better.”

There, she trains six days a week under German coach Ralf Bissdorf, who has taken her under his wing for close to seven of the last eight years. 

It was not an easy choice to make for someone who only turns 17 in December, but it is impressive how worldly Amita comes across for someone her age.

Being a thousand miles away from family and friends – and chicken rice – is a huge sacrifice, but she is in no doubt that it is the right move.

“The change wasn’t really that tough,” she said. “In a way, it’s not a bad thing, because it has made me much stronger.”

But adapting to a new environment at a tender age was not the biggest challenge the feisty athlete has had to deal with.

In February last year, Amita was dealt a severe blow when her father Eric, a huge influence in her fencing journey, passed away in a workplace accident. 

“I’d say it was one of the toughest times of my fencing career,” she said. “I travelled a lot in France with him, because he’s French, and compete in local competitions.

“He was always telling me to push myself, always encouraging me, making me believe that I could achieve things I personally didn’t feel I could.”

HONOURING DAD

The faith her father had and “will always have” in her is what drives Amita.

“It’s definitely a key factor that motivates me to do better,” she said. “Every time I achieve something I didn’t think I could, I am proud of myself and I know that my dad will be proud also.

“That motivates me to just keep going on, to see how high a level I can actually reach, to want to do better – all the time.”

Those are not hollow vows. Three weeks after the tragedy, Amita won Singapore’s first ever gold in the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships by claiming the cadet (Under-17) individual foil crown.

Earlier this year at the world championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the same city where three years ago during her event debut her father had told her his belief that she would get to the podium one day, Amita claimed the cadet foil bronze. The medal “honours” him, she told TODAY afterward.

It was only the second time a local had medalled at the championships – Lau Ywen claimed the cadet sabre gold in 2016 – and Amita created history again last month by becoming the first Singaporean to advance to the last 32 of a senior world championships.

She eventually lost to the world no. 14 Svetlana Tripapina but that achievement only served to further cement her status as one of the Republic’s brightest fencing talents.

Currently 20th in the world junior (U-20) rankings and 83rd in the seniors, Amita is not about to rest on her laurels.

“I am away from home and I want to make the most of what I can (now) because I am starting college next September, where I won’t be able to have as much freedom to fence as I have right now,” she said.

Amita expects to have a clearer picture of her choice of college by the end of the year and Notre Dame is a strong candidate.

OLYMPIC MATERIAL

Bissdorf, a silver medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics whom Amita describes as a “legend”, says the short-term goal is to keep climbing the rankings and for her to still mainly compete at junior level.

“It is part of long-term development,” he explained. “I always feel you have to stick to your age category and not jump ahead too much and skip steps in your development, that will ultimately not work (out well).”

The 46-year-old Heidenheim native has glowing praise for Amita, who was seven when one day, she passed by the glass walls of the Z-Fencing club at United Square, got intrigued enough by the action she saw to sign up for a one-week trial and then never looked back. 

“The first time I met her, I said, ‘that’s a talent you might have once in a century in Singapore,” Bissdorf said of his protégé, who swopped football boots for the foil. “I haven’t seen many athletes that hardworking at her age. 

“She’s very coachable, very determined and knows what she wants. Leaving home to pursue a dream, I think she does that with heart, mind and work ethic, so you get a pretty interesting package.”

He noted Amita’s maturity as well, citing how, apart from her own training, she takes time to help younger fencers and leads by example by training hard.

Of her potential, he has no doubt. “One day, she will compete in the Olympics,” he said simply. “Predicting whether she will win a medal is a different story. I know from my own experience… how many people deserve one but don’t win one. 

“She’s going to work hard, I am going to work hard, then we’ll see how much closer we can get her.”

Pressure does not faze Amita and she Skypes regularly with a psychologist from the National Youth Sports Institute, Ms Kok Chun Li, who helps her in the mental aspect of her game.

ASPIRE TO INSPIRE

“We eat really good food, watch nice movies, chill in the house and play games,” laughed Amita, who’s an Arsenal supporter thanks to her father’s influence. “I don’t want my life to be about fencing all the time.”

At the time of this interview back in June, Amita was excited at the prospect of a two-week holiday in London, where she would get to spend time with her mother, Uma. She is the youngest of four siblings – brother Ashok, 27 and sister Aishwarya, 24, live and work in New York and London respectively.

Second sister Aarya, 18, is a Raffles Institution student and also fences.

She is grateful to the Lis, her foster family in Boston, for their support – Brian and Brandon, the sons of Wei Li and Ally, fence at Marx as well.

“The hardest part of being away is basically missing my family,” said Amita, who has been home thrice for a total of five weeks since moving abroad.

She arrived in Singapore on Wednesday (Aug 17) to link up with the SEA Games team as she prepares to make her debut in Kuala Lumpur.

“I was actually a volunteer at the last one,” she chuckled. “When the fencers walked out, I carried their bags!

“Competing at the SEA Games is definitely an honour because I know how important it is… I am looking forward to see what I can do in this competition, I guarantee I will give my best for the country and I am definitely aiming for a medal.”

Bissdorf added: “Getting exposed to these kind of multi-event Games and being part of a bigger (Singapore) team, she’s really looking forward to that too.”

There is one thing in particular that Amita is excited about and you can almost imagine her blushing as she says, “Also, I get to meet Joseph Schooling, so that’s really cool!”

Like Singapore’s first ever Olympic gold medallist, Amita aspires to be a trailblazer.

“It’s good to know that a small country like ours can compete on the world stage,” she said. 

“I definitely feel like I’ve inspired other Singaporeans also… Muhammad Ali is one of my idols and if I could reach half or even a quarter of the people he move, I’d be super happy.

“That’s one of my life goals – not just to achieve medals, but also to inspire the younger generation that it doesn’t matter where you are from, as long as you put in the effort, you can do it.”

WHO TO WATCH OUT FOR

Lim Wei Wen (Singapore) – The 32-year-old is hunting for his first gold medal at this level, having lost in the men’s individual epee final two years ago on home soil.

Raguin Harlene (The Philippines) – At 34, this could be the Games veteran’s last chance at a gold medal. The highest ranked women’s epee fencer in the competitor, the world no. 69 will hope to end her drought.

Nicole Wong (Singapore) – The Republic’s other women’s foil representative is the highest ranked fencer in the event and the 19-year-old has already declared her intention to end up on the podium.

Pornsawan Ngernrungruangroj (Thailand) – The 20-year-old took bronze two years ago in the women’s sabre and is arguably the favourite to succeed retired Viet Olympian Nguyen Thi Le Dung, who won the last five consecutive golds.

SEA GAMES ON MEDIACORP

Catch Team Singapore's fencers in action at the SEA Games on Okto and Toggle. 

Okto’s daily action belts are from 6-9pm on weekdays and 4-9pm on weekends. Daily highlights on Today At The Games at 9pm.

Toggle's SEA Games microsite is toggle.sg/seagames2017 and features Toggle’s 3 LIVE channels.