Bhavani Devi thanks her family, coach Nicola Zanotti after securing Olympics berth

Tamil Nadu’s CA Bhavani Devi who has been a woman of many firsts in her fencing career in India, recently became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. She has already booked her ticket for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics which is scheduled to commence from August 8.

The 27-year old came close to qualifying for the Rio Olympics but that miss forced her to train even harder. She started training under Italian coach Zanotti in Italy in preparation for the Summer Games. However, the lockdown hindered her progress. She revealed her stories starting from her training to personal in a recent interview with the Times of India.

Speaking about the qualification Bhavani Devi admitted that there was a sense of relief for her. He said, “There was a sense of relief. It took me some time to realise that I have finally made the cut. This is a reward for the hard yards I have put in, the effort that my coaches and support staff have put in, and for my mother who has been a pillar of support.”

The journey till here was very rough for the 27-year-old sabre fencer as she revealed the role of her family and how her mother stood by her through thick and thin. “I am here because of my family. There are no two ways about it. Despite hailing from a middle-class background, my parents stood by me through thick and thin. My mother pawned her jewellery to fuel my ambition. They would borrow money to help me participate in competitions.”

“I have missed competitions when we failed to arrange for the money. I lost my father two years ago and I am missing him the most at this point of time,” the 27-year-old laments.

The 8 time National Champion decided to change her coach after she failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Therefore she added about the role of her Italian coach Nicola  Zanotti and how he has changed her approach.

“Having worked with him for so long, we understand each other well. He made me realise my potential, the areas I could work and got the best out of me. He has changed my approach,” Bhavani added about her coach.

She has suddenly become a huge source of inspiration among Indians and also among women, as fencing is not so popular in this country and to reach the heights of Olympics is a major feat. However Bhavani wants to inspire more young kids to take up fencing in future.

“The sport is becoming popular with more and more fencers taking to it. For many years now, I have been the lone Indian representation in international fencing meets. I hope that scenario changes in the coming years. I will be the happiest if I am able to motivate youngsters to take up fencing. It is a fantastic sport that teaches you sharpness, agility and is extremely competitive,” the 27-year-old concluded.