10 Things To Know About Bhavani Devi, The First Ever Indian Fencer To Qualify For Olympics

Bhavani Devi First Indian Fencer: Chadalavada Anandha Sundhararaman Bhavani Devi, also known as CA Bhavani Devi has become India's first fencer to Qualify for the Olympics.

The 27-year-old fencer secured her place at the Tokyo Olympics after Hungary lost in the quarterfinals of the team event to Korea. Devi then qualified for the tournament via the Adjust Official Ranking (AOR) Method.

The journey of Devi to the Tokyo Olympics has become an inspiration for all the fencing players of the country. Devi did not have an easy road to success and her mother had to pawn her jewellery at one point to help her fulfil her dreams. Apart from financial issues, she also faced difficulties because Fencing as a sport is not well known in India. However, she made her name on her own and became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics.

Here are 10 things to know about Bhavani Devi, the first Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics:

1. The Olympic bound player, Bhavani Devi, was introduced to Fencing in her school in Chennai when she was about 10 years old.

2. She enrolled at the Sports Authority (SAI) Centre in Thalassery, Kerala when she was 14.

3. Bhavani Devi appeared in her first international tournament in Turkey and won her first international medal during the 2009 Commonwealth Championships in Malaysia when she secured a Bronze Medal.

4. Since then, the player has won two Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze medals in several major competitions.

5. Devi won her first Gold medal in the Senior Sabre event at the 2018 Commonwealth Fencing Championship in Australia and became the first Indian to do so in the 44-year history of the tournament.

6. Devi is a nine-time national champion in Fencing.

7. Recently, she also won silver at the women's sabre individual category in the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Competition which was held in Belgium and Iceland.

8. The Olympic bound player lost her father in 2019, and later in the year, her mother was admitted to a hospital due to COVID-19.

9. Devi still managed to get her spot for the Budapest World Cup.

10. Devi will have her mother accompanying her as her team manager in the Tokyo Olympics.