Fencer CA Bhavani Devi, the first Indian to participate at the Olympics, received her Arjuna Award from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday.
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The 28-year-old athlete was unable to attend the ceremony earlier in person as she was participating in a competition in France. After her return to India, she paid a visit to Anurag Thakur who gave her the award.
Bhavani tweeted on Monday, "Holding the Arjuna Award was My Childhood Dream, and today, it happened. I am so much Emotional. Work Hard & Play for the Country. One day, the country will pay back. Thank YOU."
Holding the Arjuna Award 🏹 was My Childhood Dream, and today, it happened. I am so much Emotional 😢
Work Hard & Play for the Country. One day, the country will pay back. Thank YOU 🇮🇳 🙏 pic.twitter.com/iL4OssYKmo
The fencer had won her round 64 match against Tunisia's Nadia Ben Aziz 15-3. After then she went against bronze-medallist Manon Brunet of France in round 32.
Bhavani Devi had earlier won the Charleville National Competition in France in October's women's sabre individual event. Apart from her cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Mithali Raj and Olympic gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra were also awarded. It was the first time that 12 sportspersons were given the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour.
In a glittering function organised at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President also bestowed 35 sportspersons with the Arjuna award as he recognised the country's unparalleled Olympic and Paralympic performances this year.
Bhavani Devi is the first woman and first Indian to qualify for the Olympics in the sport of Fencing. Previously, Devi had won a gold medal in the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Championship held in Reykjavik, Iceland. She defeated Sarah Jane Hampson of Great Britain by 15-13 points, in the finals.
She is paving the way and is almost pioneering in the sport. Devi is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the international fencing event. She had earlier won a silver medal in the Satellite Event Championship.
She had then said, "This is my third time in this competition. I lost in the quarterfinals in previous years. Now, I have won my first medal. It is also the first medal in World Level Competition as I have won medals in Asian and Commonwealth championships."
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