Fencer Bhavani Devi is off to a flying start in her Olympic debut in Tokyo
On Monday, India’s trailblazing fencer Bhavani Devi demolished the challenge of Nadia Ben Azizi 15-3 to advance to the second round of the women’s individual sabre event at the Tokyo Olympics (July 26). Bhavani, the first Indian to qualify for the Olympics, was aggressive from the start, taking advantage of Azizi’s open stance, which allowed her to score points quickly.
The 27-year-old Bhavani did not give up a single point in the first three minutes, racing to an 8-0 lead. Nadia managed a few touches in the second period, but the Indian maintained her lead and won in six minutes and 14 seconds.
The fencer who reaches 15 points first is declared the winner.
Bhavani will now face Frenchwoman Manon Brunet, a semifinalist at the Rio Olympics, in the second round.
Shafali Verma, the opener for India’s women’s cricket team, has asked people to encourage and support the country’s athletes competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Kohli stated in a video posted by the BCCI on their official Twitter handle, “India is ready for the Tokyo Olympics.” What about you? Keep an eye out for Team India in Tokyo in 2020. Join me in supporting India.
Are you ready to cheer for our talented fencer @IamBhavaniDevi as she gets ready to make her Olympic debut?
She starts her first match in a few minutes, so stay tuned for updates and keep sending in your #Cheer4India messages.#Tokyo2020#Fencing pic.twitter.com/2tcozF7PLD
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) July 25, 2021
The video was captioned, “@TheShafaliVerma shows her support for our athletes at @Tokyo2020.” Let us all unite and #Cheer4India @IndiaSports| @Media SAI| @WeAreTeamIndia.”
.@TheShafaliVerma shows her support for our athletes at @Tokyo2020. 👍 👍
Let us all come together & #Cheer4India 🇮🇳 👏 👏@IndiaSports | @Media_SAI | @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/OI0rCDlt73
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2021
Earlier in the day, Indian fans were disappointed with the start of Day Two of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, but ace badminton player PV Sindhu gave India something to smile about before paddler Manika Batra and boxer Mary Kom put on top performances to give Indian fans reason to rejoice on Sunday.