Indian fencers, led by Bhavani Devi, draw blank in Paris Olympics qualifiers, miss Olympics berth
While Karan Singh and Tanishka Khatri lost the finals, Bhavani Devi was ousted in the semifinals
image for illustrative purpose
Indian fencers drew a blank as they missed out on a quota for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
A six-member Indian fencing team, led by CA Bhavani Devi, lost their matches and failed to seal a Paris Olympics berth at the Asia Oceania Zonal Qualifiers in Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates.
Bhavani Devi, who became India’s first female fencer to play at the Olympics when she qualified for the Tokyo edition in 2021, lost to Chu Wing Kiu of Hong Kong China 12-15 in the women’s sabre semifinal.
Karan Singh and Tanishka Khatri stumbled at the last hurdle and lost the finals in the men’s sabre and women’s epee categories, respectively.
Karan was outplayed 2-15 by People’s Republic of China’s Chenpeng Shen while Tanishka lost to Singapore’s Kiria Tikanah 15-13.
Only the winners from each category were eligible for a place in the Olympics. The Asia Oceania zonal fencing qualifier was also the final opportunity for Indian fencers to obtain quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Other Indians Dev (men’s foil), Udaivir Singh (men’s epee) and Joys Ashitha Stalinraj (women’s foil) failed to reach the quarterfinals.
