Nagpur: Adding another significant international achievement to her growing medal collection, Nagpur’s promising fencer Shruti Dharmendra Joshi clinched a bronze medal in the women’s team sabre event at the Asian Under-23 Fencing Championship in Manama, Bahrain, on Sunday.
Competing in the senior team women’s sabre category, Shruti teamed up with Vedika Kaushik and Gauri Solanke to secure a place on the podium after India’s campaign ended in the semi-finals against eventual champions Kazakhstan.
In a fiercely contested encounter, Kazakhstan prevailed over India 45-30 to book its place in the final. Under the competition format, each fencer was required to face all three members of the opposing team. Shruti managed one victory but suffered two defeats, while her teammates failed to register a win against the formidable Kazakh opponents.
Shruti began on a positive note, defeating Adema Serikbay 5-4. However, she subsequently lost to Dilyara Issabekova 16-25 and Kaisha Zhanybek 30-45 as Kazakhstan sealed the contest.
Kazakhstan went on to capture the championship title, defeating Hong Kong, China, 45-36 in the final.
Shruti also made her presence felt in the senior women’s individual sabre competition. After receiving a walkover in the Round of 16, she advanced to the quarter-finals, where she was defeated 9-15 by Kazakhstan’s Kaisha Zhanybek.
She finished sixth overall, emerging as the best-placed Indian fencer in the individual event.
The Bahrain bronze adds to Shruti’s impressive international record. Earlier this year, she had won a team gold medal and an individual bronze at the Commonwealth Fencing Championship held in Lagos, Nigeria.
An employee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Shruti was also part of the Indian contingent at the recent Asian Games in Japan, where she represented the country in the women’s team event.
Her latest podium finish further underlines her growing stature in Indian fencing and brings another international sporting honour to Nagpur.
