Fencing
Asian Fencing C'ships 2026: Bhavani Devi finishes 23rd in women's sabre
Bhavani was the best performing Indian in women's sabre.
Bhavani Devi in action
India's Bhavani Devi finished 23rd in women's sabre at the 2026 Asian Fencing Championships at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday.
Bhavani, an the first Indian fencer to compete at the Olympics, completely dominated her early matches to secure a strong spot in the rankings.
Her great energy helped her young Indian teammates, with Shreya Gupta finishing 26th, Jefarlin Jani Rexlin Simla placing 32nd, and Shruthi Joshi finishing 38th as they worked hard to secure good individual rankings for the upcoming team events.
Meanwhile in men's epee event, Joseph Bennet led India's rankings by finishing 22nd overall after scoring important points using risky, fast running attacks.
RS Sherjin Rajendran Shanthim finished 47th, leading the team's defensive strategy with a smart point-control style. Aloshious Koovakkal Joshy finished 54th, gaining helpful technical data through good timing, while Shaurya Ashwini finished 55th after showing great toughness in long, slow-paced matches.
This followed a strong performance on Day 1, where Indian Men's Sabre fencers Vishal Thapar finished 22nd, Karan Singh finished 25th after a brave 15-11 fight against Olympic legend Oh Sang-uk, and Gisho Nidhi Kumaresan Padma finished 28th to make the Top 32.
Additionally, Kanupriya Chawla pulled off a huge upset to finish 20th in Women's Foil.