Jubilation at SAI centre as first Indian fencer debuts in Olympics

The little known game of fencing entered the top league in India when C.A. Bhavani Devi qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Indian to achieve the rare feat.

But behind her achievement, there is the remarkable role played by her former coach at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Thalassery, Sagar S. Lagu, who recognized Bhavani’s talent and helped hone her skills in the early years of her sporting career.

The news of her selection to the Olympics brought cheers to the centre, and Mr. Lagu, head coach of fencing at SAI, Thalassery, and also the national coach, was on cloud nine. It was he who had noticed her talent during a competition in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and invited her to the Thalassery SAI centre. He trained her from 2008 to 2016 in the nuances of the game.

She completed schooling from Government Brennen Higher Secondary School, Thalassery, and did her Bachelor of Business Administration course from Brennen College, before leaving for Tamil Nadu, her native State, to pursue MBA from SRM University.

Recalling Bhavani’s training years, Mr. Lagu told The Puucho that all her achievements at the national level had come while she was representing Kerala.

“For fencing events like sabre, the speed, movement, and reflexes of the contest are the key skills which decide the winner. And for Bhavani, all these came naturally to her. I spotted her talent when she defeated my students at the U-17 event in Gwalior,” Mr. Lagu said.

She had been very hard working, focused, and never skipped her practice sessions. However, Bhavani had to leave the SAI camp eventually, as she had no partners to practise the game after many left the camp for various reasons.

Fortunately, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board stepped in with funds, and she went on to win medals in the international circuit.

Bhavani won the Junior Common Wealth Championship in Malaysia in 2009 and later in Jersery, UK; Cadet Asian Championship in the Philippines; Thailand Open Championship, Sabre World Cup again in Thailand, and Asian U23 Championship in the Philippines and Mongolia.

She won the gold medal for the country at the FIE Satellite World Cup in Iceland in 2017. Since then, there has been no turning back for her, as she won medal after medal for the country, eventually qualifying for the Olympics in 2021.

“She is still in touch with me, and it feels great to give her moral support and a few tips on where she could work to improve,” Mr. Lagu said.

She was able to score points and climb up in the rankings after she moved to Italy, where she had been training under foreign coaches. This had helped her get a direct entry to the Olympics, he said.

“If more Indians have to break into the international circuit, they will have to play more games abroad and improve their ranking,” Mr. Lagu pointed out.

Following a change in the policy, the government was providing funds, and there had been tremendous support for the game in the past few years, he said.

At present, there are 34 players from various parts of Kerala getting trained under Mr. Lagu at the SAI centre.

Bhavani’s feat has inspired many more to take up the game, Mr. Lagu said. He expressed hope that she would bring laurels to the country at the Tokyo Olympics, which will begin on July 23.