Fencers bag three medals for Chhattisgarh at sub-junior nationals

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh fencers secured one silver and two bronze medals, totalling three, at the 27th Sub-Junior National Fencing Championship held in Imphal, Manipur.Veer Kumar Gupta won a silver medal in the Épée individual boys' category, while Sneha Yadav bagged a bronze in the Foil individual girls' category.

The state's third medal was a bronze in the Épée team event for boys.

The competition was organised in Imphal, the capital of Manipur, from November 3 to 8. Athletes from various states across the country participated in the championship. In the Épée individual boys' event, Veer brought home the silver for Chhattisgarh. He defeated opponents from Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, and Gujarat to reach the final. He lost the final bout to the Manipur opponent with a score of 9-15, settling for the second position and the silver medal. Sneha secured the bronze medal for Chhattisgarh in the Foil individual girls' category. She overcame rivals from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Manipur to enter the semi-finals. She faced a defeat in the semi-final against a Haryana player, securing the third position and a bronze medal. The third and final medal was a bronze won by the Épée boys' team. The team comprised Veer, Shreyansh Gupta, Devashish Sahu, and Bhoumik Yadav.

The Épée boys' team defeated the Delhi team 15-11 in the top 16 round to advance to the quarter-finals. In a hard-fought match in the quarter-finals, Chhattisgarh defeated Gujarat 45-41 to enter the semi-finals. The team was defeated by Haryana 33-45 in the semi-final bout, earning them the bronze medal.