Bhavani Devi's success mantra: Learn to succeed in your mind

Bhavani Devi recently came back from Iceland with a medal in the sabre event of the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Championship. The young fencer from Chennai had struck gold last year at the same event, becoming the first Indian to do so in an international event.

Now, Devi has set her eyes on something bigger: the Asian Games. “The Asian Games is one of the major events in my calendar for this year,” the 24-year-old, who is currently training in Italy, told ETPanache over email. “My coach [Nicola Zanotti] and I have been working on all areas including technique, tactics and mental and physical strength. It will be a huge event not only for me, but also for fencing as a sport in India. I hope to give my best performance there.”

Devi recalled her first Asian Games in 2010 in Guangzhou, China. “I was the youngest in the fencing team and it was overwhelming for me to represent my country along with some of the top athletes of India,” she said.



Fast-moving sport
The sport, which has a number of corporate and business leaders around the world engaged, involves coordination and agility.

“Fencing is the most mental of all sports,” Devi said. “It demands quickness, balance, speed and mental agility. To succeed on the field, we must learn to first succeed in our own minds. In fencing, every competition, situation, opponent and outcome is different. If you lose your focus, you lose the game.”

The World No. 40 also shared the health benefits of the sport. “Those who want to destress should definitely try fencing as it is a fun way to stay fit and lose weight. Every competition teaches you something new,” she said.