Bhavani Devi made India proud on Monday July 26th when she won India’s first fencing game in the Olympics. Her dream Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games ended in the round of 32 when she lost to world number 3 Manon Brunet.
The defeat might have come early, but Bhavani Devi has certainly put Indian fencing on the Olympic map. She will forever be remembered as the pioneer of sport in the country. All those years of hard work and absence from family have certainly worked in their favor. It was an Olympic dream debut indeed.
Bhavani, in 42nd place, was the first Indian fencer to attend the Games. Her fighting spirit was shown in the way she tried herself and stayed in the fight against Brunet, the much-touted French saber-fencer.
The nine-time Indian champion took the break 2-8 behind Brunet, but she made sure to score 5 more points in the second round. Bhavani cooked with a lot of freedom and repeatedly put pressure on Brunet by demanding lots of touches and uttering battle cries. However, the French fencer used all her experience to fend off the strong threat posed by Bhavani and advance to the pre-quarter-finals.
History, dominance, class – from which dream debuts for Bhavani Devi. exist # Tokyo2020 | # Stronger together | #UnitedByEmotion | @IamBhavaniDevi pic.twitter.com/nkz96Spv1m
– # Tokyo2020 for India (@ Tokyo2020hi) July 26, 2021
Despite losing in the table of 32, Bhavani Devi will go down as one of the most influential athletes in the history of the Olympic Games in India. From the beginning of her fencing career with bamboo sticks to skillfully swinging a saber at the games, Bhavani is sure to inspire many to start the sport.
Bhavani Devi’s impressive debut bout
She was in tip top shape and delighted the Indian fans who showed up early Monday morning to see the table of 64. She defeated the Tunisian Nadia Ben Azizi 15: 3 and started her Olympic journey with a sovereign victory. Bhavani not only attacked with precision, but also scored points when standing on her hindfoot with some clever touches.
The 27-year-old from Chennai would have made her Italian coach Nicola Zanotti proud with her performance on Monday. After training in Italy over the years, Bhavani sharpened her technique and this was evident in the way she approached the Tokyo Games business.
From choosing the sport that was her only option at school to qualifying for the Olympics, it has been a memorable and arduous journey for Bhavani.
Her first international medal came in 2009 – a bronze medal in the team competition of the 2nd Commonwealth Championship in Malaysia – and she subsequently won medals at the 2010 Asian Fencing Championship and bronze (individual) at the 2012 Commonwealth Championships.
She also won silver twice at the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland (2017 and 2018), which gave her the confidence to aim higher, the fencer said.
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