Asian Senior Fencing Championships 2026: Yamada Masaru and Sano Yui strike gold; Bhavani Devi leads India's charge
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Asian Senior Fencing Championships 2026: Yamada Masaru and Sano Yui strike gold; Bhavani Devi leads India's charge")
Winners strike a pose on Saturday (June 20) Photograph: (FAI)
India impressed at the Asian Fencing Championships on day 2 as Bhavani Devi and Joseph Bennet led strong performances ahead of team events
The 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championships started with tremendous excitement at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing together the continent’s top fencing talent. The prestigious tournament serves as a direct qualification pathway for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and marks an important milestone in the road to the LA 2028 Olympic Games. Day 2 featured high-intensity individual contests in the Men's Épée Individual and Women's Sabre Individual categories.
While powerhouse nations Japan and South Korea secured the major podium finishes, India's 24-member squad delivered encouraging performances by advancing several athletes into the knockout rounds and demonstrating significant progress on the continental stage. In the Men's Épée individual event, strict timing and passivity regulations forced competitors to launch quick and aggressive attacks during the final 30 seconds of bouts. Japan's Yamada Masaru displayed remarkable composure under pressure to claim the gold medal. Lee Rang of Chinese Taipei earned silver after an impressive campaign, while Kazakhstan’s Kurbanov Ruslan and Japan’s Kano Koki shared the bronze medals.
Among the Indian contingent, Joseph Bennet emerged as the top performer, finishing 22nd overall after collecting crucial points through bold and fast-paced attacks. RS Sherjin Rajendran Shanthim placed 47th, showcasing a disciplined defensive strategy and excellent point management. Aloshious Koovakkal Joshy finished 54th, demonstrating strong timing and tactical awareness, while Shaurya Ashwini secured 55th place after displaying resilience in lengthy and tactical encounters.
The Women's Sabre Individual competition saw Japan's Sano Yui deliver a dominant performance to capture the gold medal. South Korea's Choi Sebin secured silver with an aggressive attacking style, while Uzbekistan’s Perdebaeva Gulistan and China’s Rao Xueyi shared the bronze medal positions. For the host nation, Olympic fencer CA Bhavani Devi once again led India's challenge, finishing 23rd overall. Known for her explosive attacking game, Bhavani Devi controlled her early matches confidently and secured a strong ranking finish.
Her performance also inspired the next generation of Indian fencers, with Shreya Gupta placing 26th, Jefarlin Jani Rexlin Simla finishing 32nd, and Shruthi Joshi ending the competition in 38th position as they accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of the team events. The encouraging performances followed a strong opening day for India. In the Men's Sabre competition, Vishal Thapar finished 22nd, Karan Singh placed 25th after a spirited 15-11 battle against Olympic champion Oh Sang-uk, and Gisho Nidhi Kumaresan Padma secured 28th place to reach the Top 32. In Women's Foil, Kanupriya Chawla produced one of the tournament's biggest surprises by finishing 20th overall.
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These results underline the rapid progress of Indian fencing on the Asian stage. Rather than simply participating, Indian athletes are increasingly challenging the continent’s elite competitors. With the individual events now concluded, attention shifts to the highly anticipated Team Bracket Knockouts, where some of Asia’s fiercest fencing rivalries are set to unfold.
