Chennai, March 14: Tamil Nadu’s C A Bhavani Devi has become the first ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The sabre fencer secured a spot in the World Cup in Hungary after the hosts lost in the quarterfinals of the team event, allowing South Korea to progress to the semi-final. Bhavani Devi qualifies through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) Method. Two individual spots were up for grabs for the Asia and Oceania region based on the World Rankings as of April 5, 2021. She is ranked 45th and occupies one of the two available slots based on the ranking. The 27-year-old’s qualification will be confirmed when the rankings are made official on the aforementioned date.
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju congratulated Bhavani Devi on her qualifying for the Olympics. (PTI)
