Tokyo Olympics 2020: Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian fencer to qualify

Bhavani Devi is an Indian fencer who hails from Chennai. She has represented India in fencing in numerous competitive tournaments and has won bronze and silver. She has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, her first outing in the global competition.

In another first, India has registered its first athlete in the fencing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Chennai-based fencer CA Bhavani Devi has sealed her place for the global event to be held this year.

Bhavani managed to secure a spot during the Fencing World Cup held in Hungary. She has qualified for the Olympics based on the Adjusted Official Ranking method, reports PTI.

A couple of spots were up for grab, based on the world rankings. Since Bhavani is ranked 45th globally, she has managed to grab one of the spots, thus sealing her place for Tokyo.

Following her feat, Kiren Rijiju, Union Sports Minister, congratulated Bhavani. "Congratulations to Indian fencer Bhavani Devi who has qualified for Tokyo Olympics! She has become the 1st ever Indian fencer to achieve the feat. My best wishes to @IamBhavaniDevi," he wrote on Twitter.

It would be Bhavani's maiden stint in the Olympics, having failed to seal her spot for Rio 2016. The 27-year-old has represented India across various competitive fencing tournaments and has won bronze and silver, while gold has eluded her so far.