Bhavani Devi creates history: 1st Indian to win a medal in Asian Fencing Championships

India's star fencer Bhavani Devi on Monday created history by qualifying for the semi-finals of the women's saber event at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China. Bhavani Devi assured India's first medal in the championship by reaching the semi-finals.
Bhavani Devi scripted history by defeating reigning world champion Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarterfinals. Misaki won the gold medal in the women's saber event at the World Fencing Championships 2022 played in Cairo. She will face Uzbekistan's Zeynab Deybekova in the semi-finals.
The 29-year-old Bhavani got a bye in the round of 64 before defeating Kazakhstan's Dospe Karina in the next round. The Olympian had also upset third seed Ozaki Seri 15-11 in the pre-quarterfinals.
Rajeev Mehta, General Secretary, of the Fencing Association of India congratulated Bhavani Devi on her historic achievement and said, “It is a very proud day for Indian fencing. Bhavani Devi has done what no one else has been able to achieve before.
She is the first Indian fencer to win a medal in the Asian Championships. Bhavani, who became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics, had crashed out in the round of 32 in Tokyo.