At the Tokyo Olympics, Bhavani Devi, the first fencer from India to earn an Olympic berth, lost in the round of 32.
Assuring India its first medal at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, Olympian C A Bhavani Devi made history on Monday by making it to the semifinal of the women’s sabre competition. In the quarterfinals, Bhavani defeated the current world champion Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 to make history.
At the Cairo-hosted 2022 World Fencing Championships, Misaki had won the women’s sabre gold medal.
Bhavani will compete against Zaynab Dayibekova of Uzbekistan in the semifinals and will try to improve the colour of her medal. Before defeating Dospay Karina of Kazakhstan in the following round, the 29-year-old Bhavani enjoyed a bye in the 64th round.
The third-seeded Ozaki Seri was defeated by Bhavani 15-11 in the preliminary round. Rajeev Mehta, secretary general of the Fencing Association of India, congratulated Bhavani on her historic accomplishment.
“Indian fencing can be quite proud of this day. Bhavani has accomplished what no one else has in the past. She is the first fencer from India to take home a medal from the illustrious Asian Championships. I wish her well and congrats her on behalf of the whole fencing community, Mehta told Sources.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Bhavani Devi, the first fencer from India to earn an Olympic berth, lost in the round of 32.
