NEW DELHI: Before the lockdown, Bhavani Devi was very close to achieving her Olympic dream. But now with coronavirus cases on the rise, she is re-calibrating her training plans.The Fencing Association of India (FAI) had a chat with her last month and spoke about facilitating a move to Pune where she could train at the Army Sports Institute. But now, even that is ruled out.
“We had spoken regarding training in Pune. They were optimistic but now with the situation being so grim, travelling to Pune will not be a wise decision,” Bhavani said.After getting permission from the state government to train at the indoor stadium in Chennai, the 26-year-old decided against training due to the situation in the city. Initially, she wanted to train at the Centre for Sports Science at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Research and Higher Education.
“The best thing now is to train at home. Obviously it is not ideal but there is no point in complaining. All sportspersons are at home and we have to make the most of it. I’m currently training with my kit bag and also doing fitness exercises on the terrace of my house. I’m in constant touch with my coach Nicola Zanotti,” she added. The Commonwealth Championship medallist is still hopeful of being able to train at any of the SAI centres soon.
Things in Italy are on the mend. Clubs have started opening up and fencing practice has resumed in certain quarters albeit adhering to government guidelines. Bhavani is hopeful of beginning full-fledged training soon and says the thought of other countries and fencers getting ahead of her in terms of preparation do not affect her.
“Initially, the lack of practice was a point I replayed in my head. But now, I have become calm. People are suffering and that puts my concerns into perspective. Yes, practice is a priority but we have to respect the situation and act accordingly. Spending such a lot of time at home has been a blessing in disguise as I have never stayed at home for such an extended duration since I started playing.”
There are two more competitions where the sabre fencer needs a good display to guarantee her spot for the Tokyo Olympics. One was scheduled to be held in Belgium and the other in South Korea. No new dates have been released by the world body as of yet but the qualification process is expected to remain the same. She is currently in the second spot among Asia-Oceania fencers with two making the cut.
“I’m not thinking about reaching a particular round as with that mentality, your opponent might do one better and I might get stuck. I’m just thinking of giving it my all. Qualification would be a dream and I will leave no stone unturned to make that dream come true. Hopefully, international flights will resume soon so that I can go back to Italy and start full fledged training,” she signed off.