Olympian C A Bhavani Devi won a bronze medal in the women’s sabre event at the Asian Fencing Championships 2023 in Wuxi, China. It was India’s first-ever medal at the continental meet.
Bhavani defeated the reigning world champion Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarterfinals to script history.
Bhavani Devi defeated the reigning world champion and world No. 1 Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarter-finals of the women’s sabre event. The win confirmed the Indian fencer a historic medal. It was also Bhavani Devi’s first win over the Japanese fencer in four meetings.
Misaki had won the women's sabre gold medal at the 2022 World Fencing Championships held in Cairo.
At the Asian Fencing Championships, the losing semi-finalists win bronze medals while the winners compete in the gold medal playoff. The 29-year-old Bhavani Devi settled for bronze after losing to Uzbekistan’s Zaynab Dayibekova in the semifinals, 15-14, in the semi-finals.
Zaynab Dayibekova, an Olympian, went on to win the gold medal with a 15-9 win over the Republic of Korea’s world No. 28 Jisu Yoon.
Jagmeet Kaur, Rishika Khajuria and Josna Christy - the other three Indian fencers competing in the women’s sabre - did not win medals.
Bhavani Devi, world No. 49, a two-time Commonwealth champion, previously had two Asian medals to her name but both came at the U23 level. She won an individual silver medal in 2014 and a bronze in 2015.
Bhavani Devi competed at Tokyo 2020 and is the only fencer to represent India at the Olympic Games.
Besides sabre team and individual events, the Asian Fencing Championships 2023 also includes competition for foil and epee disciplines. The continental championships will conclude on June 20.
Key Takeaways
- India’s top fencer Bhavani Devi won a bronze medal in the women’s sabre event at the Asian Fencing Championships 2023 in Wuxi, China on Monday. It was India’s first-ever medal at the continental meet.
- She defeated defeated the reigning world champion and world No. 1 Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarter-finals of the women’s sabre event.
- Bhavani Devi competed at Tokyo 2020 and is the only fencer to represent India at the Olympic Games.
