Chadalavada Anandha Sundhararaman Bhavani Devi, who is widely known as Bhavani Devi (born 27 August 1993), is an Indian sabre(fencer). She is the first Indian fencer to ever qualify for the Olympics after qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo Games.She is supported by GoSports Foundation through the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme. .[1][2]
Childhood and Early Career
Bhavani was born into a middle-class family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Her father was a priest and her mother a homemaker. C A Bhavani Devi Started her sports career in 2003. She did her schooling at Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls Higher Secondary, Chennai and then attended St.Joseph's Engineering College in Chennai and went on to complete Business Administration from Government Brennen College in Thalassery, Kerala.[3] In 2004, she was introduced to fencing at school level.[4] After finishing class 10 she joined the SAI (Sports Authority of India) Centre in Thalassery, Kerala. At the age of 14 she appeared at her first international tournament in Turkey, where she got black card for being late by three minutes. In 2010 Asian Championship in the Philippines she bagged Bronze medal.[5]
Tournaments and Medals
Starting from the Bronze medal at 2009 CommonWealth Championship held in Malaysia, Bhavani Devi has won Bronze medals in 2010 International Open, Thailand; 2010 Cadet Asian Championship, Philippines; 2012 Common Wealth Championship, Jersey; 2015 Under-23 Asian Championship, Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar and 2015 Flemish Open. In 2014 Asian Championship under 23 category in the Philippines she bagged the Silver medal becoming the first Indian to do so.[6] After her successful 2014 Asian Championship Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa honored her with INR three lakh as financial aid for training in the US.[7] In 2015, she became one of the 15 athletes selected 'Go Sports Foundation' for Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme.[8] Bhavani Devi has received 2 Gold Medals, one each at the 2012 CommonWealth Championship, Jersey and the 2014 Tuscany Cup, Italy. She finished fifth in the Viking Cup 2016 Icelandic International Sabre Tournaments held at Reykjavik and is a prospective candidate for fencing from India at the 2020 Olympics.[9][10] She won a silver medal in the women's sabre individual category in the 2019 Tournoi Satellite Fencing Competition in Ghent, Belgium, after losing to Bashta Anna from Azerbaijan.[11][12] She made history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the senior Commonwealth Fencing Championship in Canberra in the sabre event. She beat Catriona Thomson from Scotland in the semi-finals and then defeated England's Emily Ruaux. She trains in Italy as well as at the Sports Authority of India in Kannur.[13]
As of April 2021, she ranks 42nd in the world[14] with 37.0 points.
References
- ↑ Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics(2021-03-14).
- ↑ Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian fencer ever to qualify for Olympics(2021-03-14).
- ↑ CHADALAVADA ANANDHA SUNDHARARAMAN Bhavani Devi. International Fencing Federation.
- ↑ Tamil Nadu fencer Bhavani talks about battling against the odds to succeed in a fledgling sport. Sportskeeda.com.
- ↑ Will a Fencer's Sabre Strike Gold?(2016-04-13).
- ↑ Sword of Bhavani Fetches Asian First, Venugopal, Ashok(2014-10-13).
- ↑ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jaya-announces-sports-scholarship-reward-for-students/1/567360.html
- ↑ Go Sports Foundation Selected 15 athletes for Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme. Chennai Newz.
- ↑ Rio hopes gone but Bhavani dreams of Tokyo | News Today. Newstodaynet.com(2016-07-11).
- ↑ Chennai fencer Bhavani aims for 2020 Olympics | News Today. Newstodaynet.com(2016-05-23).
- ↑ Tournoi Satellite Fencing: India's CA Bhavani Devi wins silver in sabre individual category after going down to Azerbaijan’s Bashta Anna. Firstpost. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ↑ Bhavani Devi clinches silver in Belgium meet, Venkatesan, S. Prasanna. Sportstar. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- ↑ Commonwealth fencing championship: Bhavani Devi wins gold. The Hindu(2018-11-24). Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ↑ CHADALAVADA ANANDHA SUNDHARARAMAN Bhavani Devi. International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
14. Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics Template:India-sport-bio-stub