Bhavani Devi: Fencer wins India's first-ever medal at Asian Fencing Championships 2023

In a groundbreaking feat, Olympian C A Bhavani Devi won the bronze medal in the women's sabre event at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China. Her bronze is also India's first-ever medal at the prestigious tournament.

Bhavani's awe-inspiring performance saw her defeat reigning world champion Misaki Emura of Japan with a commanding score of 15-10 in the quarterfinals to assure India of a medal.

Notably, Misaki had clinched the gold medal in the women's sabre category at the 2022 World Fencing Championships held in Cairo.

Bhavani, however, lost to Uzbekistan's Zaynab Dayibekova in the semifinals to settle for the bronze.

During the competition, the 29-year-old received a bye in the round of 64 and subsequently triumphed over Dospay Karina of Kazakhstan in the following round. In an impressive upset, Bhavani overcame the challenge of the third-seeded Ozaki Seri with a score of 15-11 in the pre-quarterfinals.

Rajeev Mehta, Secretary-General of the Fencing Association of India, extended heartfelt congratulations to Bhavani for her historic accomplishment.

"It is a very proud day for Indian fencing. Bhavani has achieved what no one could achieve before. She is first Indian fencer to win a medal at the prestigious Asian Championships. On behalf of the entire fencing fraternity, I congratulate her and hope she brings back gold," Mehta told PTI.

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(With PTI inputs)