Bhavani Devi

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YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS

As in 2021

Prasad RS, July 16, 2021: The Times of India

Bhavani Devi is the first Indian fencer ever to qualify for Olympics, but her entry into the sport way back in her school days was purely accidental.

During her days at Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls School at Tondiarpet back in 2004, Bhavani took up fencing because there was no vacancy in other disciplines. She was alerted by teachers that fencing was a costly affair, but she was ready to take the plunge. “My teachers said it was an expensive sport and you won’t be able to afford it even if you come from a well-to-do family. I lied about how much my father earned those days because I wanted to get into this sport,” said Bhavani, who made the Olympics cut in March.

The monetary aspect soon hit hard. “We would train with bamboos in school. The swords were used only during competitions because if it broke, replacing it was tough as we had to import it. The sword and attire were expensive.”

Despite hailing from a family with modest means, Bhavani’s parents --- father C Sundararamana was a priest and mother Ramani a housewife --- never stopped Bhavani from chasing her dreams. “From taking loans to pawning jewellery, my parents have done everything possible to keep me going. The one person I miss the most at this point of time is my father, who passed away in 2019,” said Bhavani, who will be featuring in the women’s sabre event.

Things were far from rosy for Bhavani in 2016 as she missed the cut for the Rio Games. “I was putting a lot of pressure on myself at that point and it affected my results. I understood the importance of staying in the moment. Once I began to win medals, my confidence level shot up,” she said. Bhavani’s career got a shot in the arm when she won gold at the Women’s World Cup satellite tournament in Iceland in 2017.

A year later, Bhavani became the first Indian to pocket gold at the Commonwealth Championships held in Australia.