Photo by [New York Magazine]
The Cassim sisters did exceptionally well in the African Junior Fencing Championship. The tournament occurred in Accra, Ghana, where fencers from numerous African countries competed. Overall, Aaliyah Cassim and Imaan Cassim improved their rankings in their respective fencing categories and earned two silvers for the team events.
The trip was made possible by family, friends, and AWQAF SA, who raised approximately R84 000. In an article published on the AWQAF website, Aaliyah thanked their “loving friends, family, and AWQAF SA for getting them on the road to realise their dreams of international competition”.
Previously the Cassim sisters told Salaamedia their love for fencing started at a young age when they immediately fell in love with the sport, which boasts physical, mental and spiritual benefits. The sisters follow in their mother’s footsteps, who is also a fencer.
“When we decided to take it up just as a hobby, we immediately fell in love. It became a lifestyle.”
Fencing Takes Hard Work
The Cassim sisters said there were many fierce and talented individuals at the tournament, which made them realise, now that they are back home, they need to work harder and improve to achieve their goals of competing in future international fencing tournaments.
Seventeen-year-old Imaan said, “We have to up our game now after seeing all the other 20 countries in this championship. We realised that we needed to become better, and we needed to work harder. So, we’ve definitely got a new strategy, and we will be working [on] that from now on.”
Though the tournament was challenging, in terms of the competition and Imaan competing with an illness, the sisters said they are grateful to have had the opportunity to participate as they gained valuable experience which will only benefit them in the future.
Aaliyah (15) had placed substantially high in the rankings. In one category, she was ranked number five on the continent. As a result, she was invited to participate in the Fencing Cadet and Junior World Championship in Bulgaria in April. Unfortunately, due to it being in Ramadan, she said she would not be attending.
However, she intends to prepare and work hard in the interim so that she may be granted the opportunity to participate in the next world championship.
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Passionate About the Sport
What does the future hold for the Cassim sisters? For now, they focus on their schooling while preparing and improving their craft. The sport is something they are passionate about and demands time and effort. They hope to continue it further into their futures.
While finishing each other’s sentences, they said, “For now, this is [where we’re very much] stuck on. We’re confident about this. I feel like if you’ve been doing something for many years, it’s really hard to give it up. It’s [our] passion, so I don’t think we’re going to give [it up]. It’s in our blood now, and I don’t think we’re going to give it up anytime soon.”
