Nagpur fencer Shruti Joshi wins bronze in women's team sabre at Asian Under-23 Championships

Nagpur's rising fencer Shruti Dharmendra Joshi has won the bronze medal in the women's team sabre at the Asian Under-23 Fencing Championships in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. The medal, won on Sunday, is another major international achievement in her growing tally.

In the senior women's team sabre category, Shruti teamed up with Vedika Kaushik and Gauri Solanke. India's run ended in the semifinal, where they faced Kazakhstan, who went on to become champions. After the semifinal defeat, the Indian team took a place on the podium.

The semifinal was a tough contest. Kazakhstan beat India 45-30 to reach the final. In the format of the bout, each fencer had to face all three members of the opposing team. Shruti won one bout and lost two, while her teammates could not record a win against the Kazakh opponents.

Shruti made a good start, beating Adema Serikbay 5-4. She then lost 16-25 to Dilyara Issabekova and 30-45 to Kaisha Zhanibek, and with that Kazakhstan took the match.

In the final, Kazakhstan beat Hong Kong, China 45-36 to win the championship title.

Shruti also made her mark in the senior women's individual sabre. She received a walkover in the round of 16 and reached the quarterfinals. There, Kazakhstan's Kaisha Zhanibek beat her 9-15. Shruti finished sixth overall and was the highest-placed Indian fencer in the individual event.

The Bahrain bronze adds to Shruti's impressive international record. Earlier this year, she won the team gold medal and an individual bronze at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Lagos, Nigeria.

Shruti is an employee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). She 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.

The latest podium finish has raised Shruti's stature in Indian fencing, and Nagpur has gained another international sporting honour.