National Games 2022: Ace fencer Bhavani Devi aiming for hat-trick of gold medals

Tokyo Olympian and India's ace sabre fencer C.A. Bhavani Devi hopes to complete a hat-trick of gold medals as she gears up for the National Games 2022 in Gujarat.

The fencer is currently training in France and will make a dash to Gujarat to compete in India's biggest sporting extravaganza in the hopes of realizing her dream of a third National Games gold medal.

In an interaction with select media, Bhavani said that she was thrilled to finally get a chance to compete at the National Games.

“I had all but given up on winning my third gold in the National Games. I was thrilled when I heard three months back that Gujarat had stepped in to host the Games,” she said.

Read: National Games 2022: Full schedule, list of sports, venues and dates

Bhavani Devi, who has single-handedly popularized the sport in the country through her exploits, can’t wait for her sabre competition to begin on September 30 in Gandhinagar.

“The National Games is a very special competition for me. I am looking forward to it. Even more so as it will be my first event in Gujarat. I think Indian fencing has come a long way in the last seven years. The competition will be different this time and I want to perform well again," she said.

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Bhavani Devi keen on an encore

In the last edition of the National Games in Kerala (2015), Bhavani Devi beat Punjab’s Komalpreet Shukla in the women's sabre final in Kochi.

In the 2011 edition at Ranchi, she beat her Kerala team-mate Reetha Puthussery for her maiden gold medal.

Bhavani Devi was part of the winning Kerala teams in the last two editions of the National Games as she trained at the SAI Center in Thalassery.

“Both in 2011 and 2015, I watched the competition in other sports as well. It is such a wonderful celebration of sports. We get to interact with several top athletes from across the country and we get inspired by each other,” she said.

India’s top fencer agreed that the National Games offered a different environment as well as various challenges.

“I will use the competition next week to assess where I stand before the Asian Games and the qualifications for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. I just want to focus on improving both technically and mentally,” she said.

Bhavani Devi, who will wear Tamil Nadu colors in Gujarat, said she felt a sense of responsibility to be playing at the National Games. She said that given the packed calendar and a shorter Olympic cycle, she hadn't been hopeful of the National Games happening.

“I missed the Khelo India University Games earlier this year because it came soon after the World Championships. I cannot miss domestic competitions since I can use it to refine my technique and mental strength. I did not think we would have the National Games in 2022 since we had the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games scheduled for this year.

"When the Asian Games got postponed, I was told that we could possibly have the National Games in its place. I was mentally ready for that,” Bhavani Devi concluded.