Historic! Fencer Bhavani wins bronze at Asian Championships

Olympian C A Bhavani Devi created history by securing India's first-ever medal in the women's sabre event at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, on Monday.

Bhavani lost to Uzbekistan's Zaynab Dayibekova 14-15 in a hard-fought semi-final to finish with a bronze and assure India of its maiden medal in the prestigious event.

Bhavani had earlier stunned World champion Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarter-finals to become the first Indian fencer to win a medal at the Asian Championships.

Misaki had won the women's sabre gold medal at the 2022 World Fencing Championships held in Cairo.

It was Bhavani's first win over Misaki as she had lost all her matches against the Japanese in the past.

The 29-year-old Bhavani had received a bye in the round of 64 before beating Dospay Karina of Kazakhstan in the next round before she upset third seed Ozaki Seri 15-11 in the pre-quarterfinals.

Fencing Association of India secretary-general Rajeev Mehta congratulated Bhavani on her historic achievement.

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

"Although she lost in the semifinal, the contest was very close. It was a matter of just point. So it's a big improvement."

Bhavani Devi, who became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics, exited in the round of 32 at the Tokyo Games.