Growing up in a family of professional fencers, from the moment I started to learn how to walk, I was already spending lots of time in the fencing venues. My parents often used to take me to practices and competitions. You would think that inevitably my experience with the sport life started with fencing; however, surprisingly, that wasn’t my first serious sports passion.

I initially became involved in sports due to difficulties I encountered in school, particularly with learning the Estonian language. My native language is Russian, but I went to a special class where, from the first grade, all subjects were taught in Estonian, and I was struggling with it. In the second grade, when I was barely passing the classes, one day my parents saw an advertisement in the newspaper: a nearby club was inviting kids to join badminton practice conducted in Estonian. They thought it would be a great way to learn Estonian for me. So, I started playing badminton, and I liked it a lot.

I stayed in this sport for 7 years, and my parents were proven right: I learned Estonian quickly through the sport. Badminton equipped me with great agility, speed, stamina, strength, and explosiveness. Additionally, I found it to be a beautiful and exhilarating sport. An interesting aspect of this sport that sticks in my memory is the outfits! Beautiful and matching t-shirts and skirts, and even elegant dresses. At the competitions, learning from older girls, for each match you would try to have a new outfit. It was almost like a fashion show.

Throughout my badminton career, in my age group, I clinched several Estonian championships playing doubles, and I was frequently ranked as the second-best Estonian player in singles. Alongside the triumphs, I also experienced my first serious losses, disappointments, and sorrowful tears, from which I learned numerous painful lessons. Badminton provided me with an incredible foundation as an athlete, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even today, the sight of a badminton racket and shuttlecock never fails to ignite a spark of excitement in me. Badminton prepared me to wield something heavier than a racket – a fencing weapon, the epee. It’s something I still hold onto tightly today!

Stay Inspired,
Veronika