Olympian fencer Bhavani Devi bows out early in Tbilisi World Cup in Georgia

Bhavani Devi (right) in action during the Tokyo Olympics
Bhavani Devi (right) in action during the Tokyo Olympics

Olympian fencer Bhavani Devi bowed out early at the Tbilisi World Cup in Georgia on Friday. According to information reaching here, the 28-year-old from Tamil Nadu failed to progress beyond the round of 64 in the women's individual sabre event.

After receiving a bye in the round of 128, world No 55 Bhavani lost 15-8 to Spain's Elena Hernandez.

In the four-day tournament that will conclude on Monday, the Fencing Association of India has fielded an eight-member team, including four in the women’s category.

While Josna Christy Jose and Anitha Karunakaran also lost in the preliminary stage of the women’s individual sabre event, Alka Vallattuparambil pulled out after testing Covid-19 positive in the pre-event test.

“She (Alka) has been isolated as she tested positive for Covid-19 before the competition. Since all the team members were staying together, as a precautionary measure, other members of the team will have to undergo another Covid-19 test to ensure all are healthy,” a team official told Sportskeeda.

It will be a challenging task for the national squad to compete in the women’s team event if one more athlete fails the Covid-19 test. It’s mandatory to have three competitors in a team event.

Last year Bhavani became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. During the Tokyo Olympics, she won her first round match in the women’s individual sabre event, but lost the second.

Bhavani was recently selected by India's sports ministry for its Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS). She has been provided financial assistance to prepare for the 2022 season.

Based out of France, the top Indian fencer is expected to compete in three more World Cups before March this year.

The men’s team consists of Karan Singh, Gisho Kumaresan, Abhay Shinde and Prince.

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Edited by Sanjay Rajan