New Delhi, Aug 10, 2022, IANS

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) After becoming the first ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Bhavani Devi has had a steady rise in her performance in 2022.

She won the gold medal in the ongoing Commonwealth Fencing Championship 2022 in London on Wednesday. The 42nd ranked Indian fencer defeated second seeded Australian Veronika Vasileva 15-10 to defend her Commonwealth Fencing title in the senior women's Sabre individual category finals.

The Commonwealth Fencing Championship 2022 is her 10th international tournament of this year and she has been able to perform commendably in these high profile tournaments.

Speaking after win Bhavani Devi said, "It is a huge feeling to defend my title. It was a tough final and I am glad I could add another Gold medal for India this year. It has been a great journey for me this year and I would like to continue this momentum for the upcoming tournaments. The support back home has been great for me throughout."

"I would like to congratulate C A Bhavani Devi on winning the title again this edition. She has been an inspiration to every fencer in India, and it is because of her that many youngsters now dream of making it big in the global fencing map. This Gold medal only adds to our belief that Fencing in India is growing and I am confident that the day is not far away when we will have Indian fencers competing at the top international tournaments regularly including the Olympics," said an elated Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General, Fencing Association of India.

"BHAVANI DEVI IS COMMONWEALTH FENCING CHAMPION @IamBhavaniDevi wins GOLD at Commonwealth #Fencing Championship 2022 in Senior Women's Sabre Individual category. She won 15-10 against Vasileva in the Sabre final. Hearty congratulations, Bhavani.#IndianSports," the Sports Authority of India (SAI) wrote on Twitter.