C. A. Bhavani Devi Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About C. A. Bhavani Devi

• C. A. Bhavani Devi is an Indian sabre(fencer), who is the first Indian fencer to ever qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Bhavani made history by winning the gold medals in sabre(fencing) at the Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championship 2018 in Canberra, Australia, at the 2014 Tuscany Cup, Italy, and at the Commonwealth Championship, Jersey, in 2012. She was also supported by the ‘Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme’ under GoSports Foundation, Sports association in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
  

  Bhavani Devi while playing fencing

• In an interview, Bhavani said that her mother was her greatest inspiration to pursue her fencing career. She further added that her mother was very supportive and worked very hard to arrange money to make Bhavani participate in National tournaments. She revealed,
  

  My mother influenced me the most in my fencing career. She has been supportive and has faced hardships to fulfil my dreams. She worked arduous to find sponsors and gather funds from the government for me to participate in international tournaments.”

• In 2004, Bhavani started fencing baby steps when she was studying at Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls’ Higher Secondary School. In an interview, Bhavani said that her school gave her six sports options to choose from, including fencing, when she was in sixth class. She revealed the fact that all the other options were filled by the time she joined the school, and she was left with the option of fencing only. She narrated,
  

  When I joined class VI to the new school, they gave me six sport options including fencing. All the other options were filled by the time I joined and I was left with fencing. It sounded new to me and I was eager to try it. Many didn’t even know that a sport called fencing exist and in India then. It was a very new sport, especially to Tamilnadu. The sport itself is an inspiration. It gives me happiness and motivates to be better every day.”

  

  Bhavani Devi (right) with her elder sister while at school

• In her biography, Bhavani mentioned that she used her first electronic equipment to play the game, fencing when she participated in her first National event in 2007 until then she was practising with bamboo sticks. Initially, Bhavani received her fencing training under the hot sun, when other international players practised with their electronic swords at the indoor stadiums in south India. Bhavani revealed in her biography that she often borrowed swords from other players for practising as she couldn’t afford to purchase an electric sword. In an interview, Bhavani revealed her sporting philosophy and said,
  

  Success won’t come in a day. You have to be patient and continue to work hard. More importantly, you must crave and love your sport.”

• In 2004, Bhavani began representing nationally in fencing at Madhya Pradesh. Soon, she got trained at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai and started playing sabre professionally.

• In an interview, Bhavani explained her schedule when she first started her fencing sessions while at school. She further narrated that she sometimes missed the only bus to her training stadium, and she had to walk alone for a few kilometres. She said,
  

  I had to attend the sessions before and after school. So, I’ll wake up early in the morning and catch the only bus from Washermanpet that has a stop in front of the stadium at Periyamet. Soon after school, I’ll rush for the sessions again in the evening. I remember walking alone for a few kilometres in the night after I missed the only bus that comes near the stadium.”

• When Bhavani was 12 years old, she won her first gold medal in Individual Sabre, Sub-junior Nationals at Chennai.
  

  The screenshot of Bhavani Devis’s Instagram post (when she won her first gold medal in Individual Sabre at the age of 12)

• Bhavani joined the Sports Authority of India Centre in Thalassery, Kerala after completing her secondary education. In 2007, she participated in her first international tournament Cadet at Junior World Fencing Championship in Turkey, when she was 15 years old. The expenditure of travelling and buying the equipment for fencing was heavy for the Bhavani’s family. Bhavani’s mother arranged money to buy the fencing equipment from her relatives and friends. In an interview, Bhavani said,
  

  I missed a lot of international events as my family couldn’t afford the travel expenses. Still, my mother was not ready to give up. She tried her level best to let me attend the event either by taking loans or borrowing money.”

  

  Bhavani Devi with her parents

• In an interview, Bhavani expressed her emotions that when she had to visit abroad for International championships, it was very hard for her to communicate in English. She added that she faced a lot of challenges when a lot of people in India asked her parents to stop their daughter to participate in games internationally. She spelt out,
  

  I had faced a lot of challenges in the initial days while travelling alone. I was not fluent in English then. Finding the pre-booked hotels and communicating with people was a tedious task. Also, a lot of people asked my parents to stop me from going alone to participate in international events but I was not ready to give up.”

  

  C A Bhavani Devi in abroad

• In 2015, Bhavani won two Bronze medals, one in the Under-23 Asian Championship organised at Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar and the other at the Flemish Open championship held in Belgium. On this win, Former Tamilnadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, gifted Bhavani a purse worth Rs 3 Lakh for her outstanding performance in both championships. After receiving this honour from CM, Bhavani said,
  

  I am very happy that the Chief Minister has provided the elite scheme scholarship until 2020. I can stay relaxed on financial issues but at the same time, I have the responsibility to utilise it in a smart way to achieve good results.”

  

  Former Tamilnadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa with Bhavani Devi and her parents while receiving an honour

• In 2015, Bhavani was selected for ‘the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme,’ under  ‘GoSports Foundation,’ and she became one of the 15 athletes who were already a part of this program. On her selection, in this program, Bhavani said,
  

  When I thought about quitting the sport, fortunately, I got selected for the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Program by Gosports Foundation.”

  

  Bhavani Devi with Rahul Dravid

• In 2017, Bhavani won the individual Sabre(fencing), and she became the first Indian women fencer to win the gold at the Women Fencing World Cup held at Reykjavik, Iceland. On winning the Fencing World Cup, Bhavani exclaimed,
  

  I would say, winning the title of individual sabre at the 2017 World Cup event in Reykjavik, Iceland is the most memorable day in my life.”

  

  Indian Fencer CA Bhavani Devi while reciveing the trophy after winning gold medal in 2017

• In 2019, Bhavani won two medals, silver and bronze, in the women’s sabre(fencing) individual held at Belgium and Iceland respectively, in the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Competition. In an interview, Bhavani disclosed her sports idols. She said,
  

  When it comes to fencing, the US fencer Mariel Zagunis is my idol. Also, I get inspiration from tennis ace Sania Mirza, Serena Williams and all women achievers in the field of sport.”

  

  Bhavani Devi while showing her Silver medal in Women’s Sabre at the Tournoi Satellite held at Gent, Belgium

• Bhavani won more than eight Individual titles and bagged several medals in the youth categories. In 2020, Bhavani was qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020 through AOR (Adjusted Official ranking), but the tournament was cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. Since 2016, Bhavani was getting fencing training under Italian coach Mr Nicola Zanotti. In an interview, Bhavani said,
  

  Getting trained abroad helped me to improve my fencing skills apart from making me a better person. Training with the best athletes has been a learning experience for me. I got to know how they take success and failures and prepare for competitions.”

  

  Bhavani Devi with her coach Nicola Zanotti

• In 2020, Amul India (a dairy brand) appreciated Bhavani Devi by featuring her cartoon image in a newspaper when Bhavani got selected in Tokyo Olympics.
  

  Amul India’s cartoon picture in a newspaper as a dedication to Bhavani on her selection in Olympics

• As a sports person, Bhavani Devi is a fitness enthusiast. She often posts her pictures on her social media account while gymming.
  

  Bhavani Devi while gymming

• In September 2020, Dr Kiran Bedi launched the official website of Bhavani Devi and Bhavani announced it on her social media account.
  

  An Instagram post of Bhavani Devi when Dr Kiran Bedi launched her online official website

• Bhavani Devi is an animal lover. She often posts pictures of her pet cat on her social media account.
  

  Bhavani Devi with her pet cat

• In 2020, Bhavani Devi became a part of The Pink Movement Initiative, which was organised to promote and support pink power i.e. women power in India. This movement focuses on creating a brand for women which gives her a platform to speak, to explore her achievements, the struggles she made to find her own identity. Later, this movement released a song ‘Subah’ that featured Bhavani Devi on their cover page.
  

  The poster of the song Subah that also featured Bhavani Devi

• Bhavani Devi is often invited by Indian educational institutions in India as a guest speaker to motivate and boost the morale of the budding sports students.
  

  Bhavani Devi while posing as a Guest Speaker at Valliammal College with her parents

• In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Bhavan Devi disclosed her fitness routine while at home. In an interview, she said that she was doing her basic fitness exercises along with fencing training at her terrace. She explained,
  

  I am doing basic fitness and fencing work to be ready physically and mentally when things resume. I am doing my basic fitness at our terrace. Using few dumbbell pairs and most of the exercises are own body weight. For fencing, I am doing footwork and target practice using my fencing kitbag.”

  

  Bhavani Devi training on the terrace of her house during the nation-wide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020

• In an interview, Bhavani Devi disclosed her daily routine while at training for a competition. She said that she lightly warm-up with her coach, but on the competition day, she did long warm-ups, and before the competition, she did small matches with other fencers. She further added that she began her practice early in the morning till 5 pm in the evening. She explained,
  

  During a competition, one day before my event, I’ll do a light warm-up with the coach. I’ll go to the arena and stretch a little bit to get a feel of the venue. On the day of the competition, we do a long warm-up. Competition days are long, we start at around 9 am and rounds go till 4 or 5 pm. We get enough breaks. But in the beginning, if we do it, it still helps till the end of the day. I prefer to do a long warm-up. Before the competition, I do small matches, for five points, with other fencers. Five minutes before my matches, I go to my piste and try to imagine what I need to do during the match and against a particular opponent.”

  

  Bhavani Devi while practicing fencing

• In March 2020, Bhavani Devi returned to India from Italy after Tokyo Olympics got postponed. In an interview, she said that while at home in India, she was practising fencing daily along with watching movies that she had missed out on for the last few years. She said,
  

  Yes, I’ve watched all the latest Tamil movies, whi­ch I haven’t for a long time. I al­so try to do some reading.”

• Bhavani Devi became a world-famous athlete for being the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. In the video, she described her excitement after getting selected for the Olympics along with her struggles in life.

• In an interview, Bhavani was asked that why she opted for fencing as a sports career. She then replied,
  

  Initially, I chose fencing to get away from classes in school. But when I lost my first competition, I was determined to win. The sport itself is an inspiration. It gives me happiness and motivates to be better every day.”

• Bhavani’s coach name is Sagar Lagu from India, and he is her national coach; Nicola Zanotti is her personal coach. Bhavani Devi spends part of the year training in Livorno, Italy, and she is a right-hander. She knows English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil languages. ^[7]FIE

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a special mention to athlete Bhavani Devi on his Sunday show on the Indian radio telecasted on 27 June 2021. He said,
  

  C.A. Bhavani Devi, her name is Bhavani and she is adroit at fencing. Bhavani, who hails from Chennai, is the first Indian fencer to qualify in the Olympics. I was reading somewhere that in order for Bhavani ji’s training to continue, her mother had even mortgaged her jewellery.”

  Thank you @achyuta_samanta sir for your wishesh. I will do my best to make you proud. https://t.co/kcnyTUninQ

  — C A Bhavani Devi (@IamBhavaniDevi) June 27, 2021

  

  Shri Banwarilal Purohit Sir, Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu gave his appreciation to Bhavani Devi

• In 2021, World’s first Safety Lifestyle brand ‘MY’ announced Ms C A Bhavani Devi, the Olympic qualifier, as their Goodwill Ambassador.
  

  World’s first Safety Lifestyle brand ‘MY’ appointed C A Bhavani Devi as their Goodwill Ambassador

• In 2021, The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology honoured CA Bhavani Devi with accolades for her selection in Tokyo Olympics in 2020. She is a student of KIIT, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology.
  

  Bhavani Devi was honoured by KIIT for her selection in Tokyo Olympics

• In an interview, she was asked about her favourite fencers and the learning she receives from them. She then replied,
  

  My favourite fencers…. In fact, there are many – Aldo Montano of Italy (2004 Olympics Games gold in men’s sabre, Mariel Zagunis of USA (2004 and 2008 Olympics individual gold) and Sofia Velikaya from Russia (2016 Rio Olympics team sabre gold medallist).”

• In 2021, in Tokyo Olympics, Bhavani Devi lost to world number 3 Manon Brunet in the round of 32 women’s sabre fencing individual events.

• In July 2021, Bhavani Devi met Novak Djokovic. In an interview, she shared her experience after meeting him and told the media persons the advice Novak Djokovic gave her. She said,
  

  In order to be a champion, it is imperative to enter any competition brimming with self-confidence and hard work. He cited his own example and said that during his initial years, he kept going down to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but he kept fighting. It was only later on in his career that he learnt to keep his mind calm and control only what was possible.”

  

  A picture shared by C A Bhavani Devi on her Twitter account after meeting Novak Djokovic in July 2021