Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics

NEW DELHI: CA Bhavani Devi of Tamil Nadu has became the first Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics.

The 27-years-old Bhavani Devi has qualified through the adjusted official ranking (AOR) method for the women’s individual sabre event in the Tokyo Olympics.

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Congratulating her, Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted: “Congratulations to Indian fencer Bhavani Devi who has qualified for Tokyo Olympics! She has become the 1st ever Indian fencer to achieve the feat. My best wished to @IamBhavaniDevi.”

Rijiju also lauded the coach and the whole team in his Twitter handle. “The 1st ever fencer from India to qualify for the @Olympics in women’s individual sabre, Bhavani Devi is trained by our SAI coach Sagar Lagu in SAI Training Center, Thalassery and actively supported by @GoSportsVoices Thank you @DeepthiBopaiah and team!”

The eight-time national champion was unable to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were originally expected to take place in 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Fencing, with its regal sporting roots in Europe, is now a first-world preserve, with the continent's sporting superpowers holding a stranglehold on the sport. China, Japan and Korea have made breakthroughs in the discipline, which has a total of 36 medals and is, therefore, pushed by every nation to increase medal placements.