It must be a wonderful experience being the first to a significant milestone and bring the joy to countless people, some known and many unknown. Yet, when Bhavani Devi, the first Indian Fencing exponent to qualify for an Olympic Games competition, takes her mind off the congratulatory messages, she will discover that pioneering feats are not only heady but also come with great expectations and greater responsibility.
While she learns to deal with those, it would help if other stakeholders, especially fans, remember that while celebrating her qualification, it is more crucial to remember that the Olympic Games competition will be an entirely different ball game altogether. It is up to Bhavani Devi to make her journey in the Olympic Games more memorable than journey to the Olympic Games.
She does not have to look any farther that gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who rode on the trademark Produnova Vault to finish fourth in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Those who know her well insist that she will not rest on her oars but immerse herself in intense preparation for the tougher challenges in Tokyo.
The notes of gratitude that she has posted on social media in the wake of her qualification – formal confirmation will happen on April 5 – already shows a level-headed approach. Clearly, many freeze frames have rushed through her mind and while each is unique in its own way, she may pick a few to linger a bit longer.
Indeed, Bhavani Devi’s has been an interesting journey – from being spotted in a tournament by a Sports Authority of India coach Sagar Lagu and asked to move to the SAI Training Centre in Thalassery and from being backed by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha to now assuring herself a berth in the Olympic Games.
Even if the graybeards advice athletes not to delve in the past, Bhavani Devi fondly recall her fight against Canada’s Gabriella Page, then ranked World No. 36, in the World Championships in Budapest. Tottering on the brink of a defeat, she stayed focused on playing for one point at a time and turned the match on its head.
The 15-14 victory, worth 20 points, accounted for more than half of her 37 points that placed her 42nd on the International Fencing Federation’s world ranking table. The Indian was down 11-14, one touch away from losing the round of 32 battle but found the speed and gaps in Gabriella Page’s defence to win 15-14 to enter the pre-quarterfinals.
The other helpful nudge came from the qualification system which has left a dozen fencers ranked above the Indian to battle it out in the zonal qualifiers. World No. 16 Bianca Pascu (Romania), No. 19 Alina Komashchuk (Ukraine), No. 24 Araceli Navarro (Spain) will be among the seven such Europeans who will vie for one slot in the Zonal qualifier in Madrid on April 17 and 18.
With 24 slots in the individual draw taken up by fencers from eight nations which qualified for the team event, six other places were decided by world rankings. Two fencers each from Europe and Asia-Oceania – only one from a nation – and one each from Africa and the Americas made the Olympic grade on the basis of rankings. The remaining four would come through zonal qualifiers.
It must be pointed out that there are three Japanese who are ranked higher than Bhavani Devi. At least one among Norika Tamura (No. 29), Shihomi Fukushima (No. 34) and Chika Aoki (No. 39) will miss out on competing in Tokyo even if Japan decides to use two of its eight host country quotas to ensure it can field a women’s team in sabre competition.
No. 31 Amira Ben Chaanane (Tunisia) and No. 38 Maria Bele Perez Maurice (Argentina) top the African and Pan-American zones respectively but will have to come through the zonal tournaments in Cairo and Panama City next month. Indeed, Bhavani Devi will be relieved that she does not have to go to the Asia-Oceania Zonal tournament in Seoul on April 15 and 16.
She had to seek help to move mountains to be able to return to Livorno in Italy in November last to train with Nicola Zanotti. While Italy had allowed resumption of Fencing, travelling to that country was not an easy proposition in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports support under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions eased her challenges.
It is to her credit – and that of her coach and other advisors – that she knew the qualification system and ensured that she competed in 13 events that helped her secure the necessary ranking points. From with the Seoul Grand Prix in April 2019 to the recent World Cup in Budapest, it helped that she took part in a number of events, thanks to her benefactors.
Undoubtedly, she will steel herself in the months ahead and stay focused on the task on hand. After all, the current generation of Indian athletes does not see qualification as an end in itself, but as a milestone on the larger journey to making an impact at the Olympic Games. And Bhavani Devi has it in her to emerge as one more shining representative of the generation with fire in its belly.
Image: Bhavani Devi (Courtesy: Sports Authority of India)
