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India’s top fencer Bhavani Devi found herself in the middle of a controversy during her quarterfinal match at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday. The Indian fencer felt she was robbed of a victory due to biased refereeing towards her Chinese opponent.
Devi’s aspirations to secure a medal and further etch her name into the record books of Indian sports history came to a halt when she faced home favorite, Chinese fencer Shao Yaqi, in the quarterfinals. Bhavani Devi suffered a 7-15 defeat that left her heartbroken and questioning the fairness of the refereeing.
After the match, Bhavani Devi did not hold back her words while talking to the media. She said:
"The referee was not right with me in the beginning, he gave a quick series of 3-4 touches to the Chinese fencer which, I was sure in my mind, were actually my touches."
Bhavani Devi's frustration with the refereeing was apparent throughout the match. She started challenging calls early on, and went on to do so throughout the match. As the match progressed, her protests grew more fervent, she even tossed her sabre to the ground before storming off with her coach at the match's conclusion.
Though, at no point did the prominent athlete blame the unfair decisions for her loss. Bhavani further added:
"Our game is fast; you cannot give so many points away to someone so quickly. But it was my mistake too, I started worrying about things that were not in my control. A big deficit had been created and I could not make a comeback. I tried my best, so I have no regrets."
Despite her quarter-final loss, the 30-year-old Arjuna awardee had already made history by becoming the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Asian Games.
Her journey to the quarterfinals was nothing short of extraordinary. She stunned spectators and opponents alike by securing a six-match winning streak in the pool stages, defeating competitors from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Thailand, including reigning Asian champion Zaynab Dayibekova.
Bhavani Devi sets sights set on Paris Olympics qualification
The Indian fencer now has her sights set on a new goal: qualifying for the Paris Olympics. She expressed her determination to use the Asian Championships bronze as motivation for her Olympic qualification journey.
"There will be eight tournaments, starting next week, which will serve as Olympic qualifiers. My aim is to now qualify for it and then start preparing for Paris," she stated.
