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CA Bhavani Devi, India’s lone sabre fencer, has been training hard with the Italian fencing team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Earlier this year, the Chennai-based athlete created history by becoming the first Indian fencer to book a place in the quadrennial extravaganza. Bhavani Devi qualified via the Adjusted Official Rankings (AOR) at the Fencing World Cup in Hungary in March.
Read: How a mother's sacrifice saw Bhavani Devi become India's first Olympic fencer
Bhavani Devi, an eight-time national fencing champion, has fine-tuned her preparations with training sessions with the Italian team in Livorno and is looking good to make her first Olympic outing count.
There was a plus for her when she was training with the Italian team. The Indian sabre fencer got a chance to meet and interact with former world champion and Olympic gold medalist Aldo Montano.
The Italian fencer is known to be one of the best in business. In what could be a shot in the arm for the Indian fencer, Montano’s advice on how to handle pressure and how to maximize performance will come in handy for Bhavani Devi.
Montano, who is 42 years old, will be a part of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 too.
Apart from being the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics, Bhavani Devi has more. She is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships and is also the only Indian in the top-50 rankings in the world. Bhavani Devi is also the first Indian fencer to win a gold in a World Cup (2018).
Also read: Fueled with confidence, fencer Bhavani Devi aims to put up a strong show at Tokyo Olympics
Bhavani Devi's tactics will stand her in good stead, says coach
With many records against her name, expectations from Bhavani Devi have been high. Her coach in her formative years at Sports Authority of India Kannur, Sagar Lagu, pointed out that Bhavani Devi’s belief is her strong point.
Sagar Lagu told Sportskeeda in an exclusive conversation:
“Bhavani Devi should reach the top-eight without any problem. She has the mettle to punch above her weight and there are high hopes hinging on her."
Elaborating on her game style, Sagar Lagu said:
“She has a very good offense reaction. And, if pushed on the offense, she has the ability to convert it to a point and get it in her favor more often than not. She can execute her offense moves in a very good manner and I hope it helps her a lot.
"Both reflexes and movement speed are important for any fencer to emerge victorious. The final score will always be in favor of which fencer has good reflexes and speed of her moves.
"Fortunately, Bhavani Devi has both in the right mix. This should put her in good stead at the Olympics.”
Watch: Tokyo Olympics-bound fencer Bhavani Devi shares sneak peek into her workout routine
Although Bhavani Devi was training in Italy, she made sure to keep in touch with her coach in Kannur. The coach kept his ward motivated by focusing on her strengths.
“I always ask her to keep her focus on the game and give her best. She has a good game strategy and can crack any opponent’s game, should she play to her strengths,” Lagu signed off.
Bhavani Devi will be in action at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on July 26 when the sabre events start.
