Aichi, Sep 27 (IANS) India’s record 20-member fencing contingent signed off from the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 without a medal, with the women’s sabre team’s quarter-final exit on Sunday bringing the country’s campaign to a close.
Bhavani Devi, Shreya Gupta, Jefarlin JS and Shruti Joshi began their team campaign with a commanding 45-23 victory over Indonesia in the round of 16. Their run, however, ended in the quarter-finals, where Uzbekistan defeated India 45-35.
The result meant India had three teams reach the last eight in Aichi-Nagoya. The men’s sabre and women’s foil teams had also made the quarter-finals earlier in the competition, but neither managed to progress to the medal rounds.
Bhavani, India’s leading name in fencing and an Olympian, had herself made the individual sabre round of 16. After losing three of her five pool bouts, she bounced back with victories over Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Sarybay and Thailand’s Arisara Somphao before overcoming Mongolia’s Oulen Tugsjargal 15-8 in the round of 32. Her run ended against People’s Republic of China’s Rao Xueyi, the 2026 world championships silver medallist, who won 15-5.
Shreya also advanced to the individual sabre round of 16 but was stopped by the Republic of Korea’s Jeon Ha-young, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, in a 15-6 defeat. None of India’s 10 individual entries progressed to the quarter-finals.
In the other team events, Gisho Nidhi Kumaresan Padma, Karan Singh and Lakshay Badser took the men’s sabre team past the Philippines 45-27 but suffered a 45-25 quarter-final defeat to South Korea.
The women’s foil quartet of Joys Ashitha Stalinraj, Sonia Devi Waikhom, Kanupriya Chawla and Mina Devi Naorem also advanced to the last eight after a 45-24 win over Indonesia, only to lose 45-14 to Japan.
India’s men’s foil team exited in the round of 16 following a 45-27 defeat to Hong Kong China, while the women’s épée team went down 45-29 to Uzbekistan at the same stage.
The campaign extended India’s wait for a maiden Asian Games fencing medal. Despite fielding their largest-ever contingent in the sport, India once again finished without a podium finish in Aichi-Nagoya.
--IANS
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