Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday applauded the efforts of fencer CA Bhavani Devi and said the country is proud of her contribution in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.
Bhavani went down against France's Manon Brunet in women's individual sabre 15-7. The experienced French fourth seed won the match very comfortably against the Bhavani who earlier by defeating Tunisia's Ben Azizi Nadia became the first Indian to win the match in fencing at Olympics.
PM Modi said wins and defeats are a part of life and termed Bhavani as an "inspiration" for Indian citizens.
"You gave your best and that is all that counts. Wins and losses are a part of life. India is very proud of your contributions. You are an inspiration for our citizens," PM Modi tweeted.
Meanwhile, Bhavani Devi has now set her eyes on Paris 2024 after crashing out of Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the round of 32.
"Big Day. It was Excitement & Emotional. I won the First Match 15/3 against Nadia Azizi and become the First INDIAN Fencing Player to win a Match at Olympic but 2nd Match I lost 7/15 against world top 3 player Manon Brunet. I did my level best but couldn't win. I am sorry," tweeted CA Bhavani Devi earlier in the day.
"Every end has a beginning, I will continue my practice and definitely work hard to win a medal at the next Olympics in France and make my country proud. I want to thank each one of you who stood by me," she added.
Bhavani started her Tokyo campaign by dominating Tunisia's Ben Azizi Nadia by 15-3 in just 6 minutes and 14 seconds but went down while competing against the French athletes.
( With inputs from ANI )
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