At just five, Fateh Singh Gill from Amritsar, Punjab, has already performed on some of the biggest international stages. The young martial arts prodigy recently won a gold medal in Gatka on Skates at the World Martial Art Games 2026 in Pattaya, Thailand, becoming the first child to perform the traditional Sikh martial art on skates.But this journey started when Fateh was just two years old, when his parents noticed something special in his hand movements and decided to give his interest a chance. Fateh has also won the World Grand Prix Fit Kid and Mr. Universal Fit Kid titles in Europe when he was just 3.5 years old. He has since performed internationally in Singapore and Thailand.
28 Jul 2026 | 16:22
How do you teach children about money and financial responsibility?
Behind these achievements is a family that has travelled with him, trained with him and supported him through every challenge. Speaking to TOI, Fateh’s mother, Navpreet Kaur, opened up about his journey, the sacrifices involved and why she believes parents should recognize their children’s natural abilities.
“A mother should do good deeds while she is pregnant”
Fateh’s story, according to his mother, began even before he was born. During the Covid period, when Navpreet was pregnant with him, her mother gave her some advice that stayed with her. In a conversation with TOI, Fateh’s mother Navpreet Kaur says, “It was Covid time, and I was pregnant with Fateh. My mother told me at that time, ‘A mother should do good deeds while she is pregnant, it will reap benefit in the future for her child.’”The family also visited a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra. Even as a toddler, Fateh showed an interest in religious music and prayers. “While watching the TV, 2 year old Fateh used to listen to Gurbani on religious channels.”
His father noticed something special when he was only 2
Fateh with his father Ramandeep. (Instagram/@singhfitkid19)
Fateh’s father Ramandeep Singh is an athlete himself and has participated in bodybuilding competitions in Europe. That background also influenced how the couple thought about their son’s interests. Talking about Fateh’s father, she says, “My husband himself is an athlete. He participated in bodybuilding competitions in Europe as well. Because he is an athlete, we had similar thoughts for our kid as well.”It was Fateh’s father Ramandeep who first noticed something unusual in his hand movements. Navpreet says, “Our Fateh is blessed with special hand movement. When he was 2, his father noticed that he had a very gifted wristwork perfect for Gatka (a traditional Sikh martial art). So what he did was to customize a kirpan (special dagger worn by Sikhs) for Fateh. Fateh started practicing with them.”She says further, “When Fateh was 2.5 years old, we thought maybe he’ll go into sports once he’s 10-11 but we didn’t think at that time about how young he would achieve all this in Sikh martial arts.” The family began posting videos of Fateh performing Gatka online. One day, those videos caught the attention of someone associated with a European martial arts championship.
He trained through the cold
Fateh and his father then began preparing for the competition. The training lasted for several months. “His father and he started training and did so for 3-4 months. The competition was in May, 2024.”The weather was another challenge. “It was winter and it was very cold in Amritsar. But Fateh used to practice daily. I don’t know how a little kid like him had such drive and determination to do that daily. He is surely gifted by god I feel.”At just three years old, Fateh also needed constant care during training. “As a mother I took diapers, food and other essentials to his training place. Because he was so little, 3 at that time, he couldn’t eat himself.”For the family, the child’s effort was reason enough to support him. “For three or four months, this child worked very hard. The parents also had to support him. We decided that we would not stop him because of any condition or situation.”
When the visa became a problem
Navpreet says she was heartbroken when her visa was not approved.
The first international competition brought another challenge: the visa. “Until April 2024, there was no question of his visa. There was no interview planned. Then suddenly, everything happened. We had done everything and then an interview came. We went there and the interview happened. I did not get cleared because there were some issues. It was my first time as well. His father had travelled many times before.”Navpreet says she was heartbroken when her visa was not approved. “When mine did not get approved and I cried a lot. I thought, how can a mother leave her child? He was very young. The father is responsible, of course, but a mother is a mother. I had never been away from my child.”There was another concern, the weather and the fact that Fateh was still so young. “They were going to a place where it is extremely cold in Europe, where there would be snow. I was worried about how the child would manage. Then my husband said, ‘I will be with him and he wouldn’t face any issue, I promise.’”
They did not expect him to win
When the family finally went for the competition, their expectations were simple. They were not thinking about medals or titles. “We had only one thought: he is a small child, so he should just perform well. He should perform among the foreign children, just like when Indian children go to shows such as America’s Got Talent. You feel so happy and proud when you see an Indian child performing there. That was our only expectation.”Navpreet watched her son perform through a video call. “I was watching on a video call. I had tears in my eyes and was praying to God. And when this child performed there, I cried. Everyone stood up. Nobody there knew what Gatka was. We had gone to Lithuania. When he performed, his father was asked by everyone, “What is this child doing?” They were asking about the sword and all the different movements. They said they had never seen anything like this.”The competition included children from different countries, each showcasing a different skill. “There were children from different countries in the championship. Every child was showing something. Then, among the children in his group, he was declared the overall champion.”For the parents, the result came as a surprise. “At first, we did not even understand what had happened.”
One competition led to another
The young performer later travelled to Singapore as well and received recognition.
The win opened another opportunity for Fateh. Another competition was being held in a different country, which involved around six hours of travel. “Then there was another competition in another country. There was around six hours of travel. The president there said that the child should perform there too. Naturally, there would be travel costs and other expenses, and everything is very expensive there. So they said that if he had already come this far and had won, why not let him participate in another competition as well?”Fateh went on to participate in another World Championship. “There also, by God’s grace, he came first,” she told TOI.The young performer later travelled to Singapore as well and received recognition from different people. “After that, he went to Singapore. So many things have happened in between. There were also business people and others who gave him recognition.”
From a phone discovery to the World Martial Art Games
Fateh went on to win gold in Gatka on Skates at the World Martial Art Games 2026 in Pattaya.
The opportunity to compete in Thailand came in a rather unexpected way. “One day, his father was scrolling through his phone, as we all do, and he saw the World Martial Arts event in Thailand, in Pattaya. They asked about him. We registered him, and they said okay. So now he was there in June for the martial arts event.”The organizers were initially unsure about allowing such a young child to perform with a sword. “We told the judges that he would perform Gatka. They said, “He is such a small child. How will he handle a sword? How will he perform on stage?”“But they allowed him. They said, “It is okay. Whatever the stage is, let him perform.” There were teams from Sri Lanka and West Bengal too. There were many teams. Everyone had their own form of martial arts. We had Gatka.”Fateh went on to win gold in Gatka on Skates at the World Martial Art Games 2026 in Pattaya.
“Every child has some talent”
For Navpreet, Fateh’s journey is ultimately about more than medals. She believes parents need to recognise what their children are naturally good at and give them the confidence to pursue it.“People believe in him, and his father and I also believe that God has blessed us with this opportunity. So we don’t want to step back. Whatever we can do, we do. We don’t think about the money. We don’t think about travelling late at night or the difficulties. When someone asks us in an interview, we always say one thing first: it is God’s grace. He created the path for us. When the path became visible, we did not step back. The biggest thing is to support your children. Every child has some talent. Parents just need to recognise it.”
What does the future hold for Fateh?
For now, the family is not trying to map out Fateh’s entire future. They are taking opportunities as they come. “As for the future, we don’t really have anything planned. Whenever we get a call, we go. We are going to Singapore in December. In January, we will go to Malaysia. There is a programme in Malaysia. In December, his father will be there for four days for the programme. There are old Sikh communities there, and he will perform there as well.”Has the family thought about what Fateh might do when he grows up, especially after achieving so much at such a young age? “Right now, we haven’t really thought about it. We just believe in God. Whatever we think will happen does not always happen. If we try to manifest something, maybe it will happen. But if we leave it to God, maybe He will do something even better for us,” Navpreet told TOI.For now, the five-year-old continues to train, travel and perform. While his parents focus on doing what they believe matters most: recognising his talent and giving him the freedom and support to explore it.
