It takes courage to do something for the first time because there is an obvious lack of support. But, more than that, the risk of being forgotten is way higher in the case of failure.
Because no one knew what you were doing in the first place.
It takes a strong heart to do it anyway, and Bhavani, you should take a lot of pride in that.
You should not say sorry.
Big Day 🤺
— C A Bhavani Devi (@IamBhavaniDevi) July 26, 2021
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 🙏 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/TNTtw7oLgO
You, of all people, should not. It’s us who should.
We are sorry we did not honour your dedication before your victory.
We are sorry you had to fight alone for years, with little to no support.
We are sorry for being unworthy supporters.
. @IamBhavaniDevi your unflinching spirit at the Tokyo Olympic Games will ignite the journey of so many after you!
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) July 26, 2021
You’ve shown India 🇮🇳 the path; in the hearts of 130 crore Indians you are our WINNER in every way. https://t.co/mLpNeTlNWc
You gave your best and that is all that counts.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2021
Wins and losses are a part of life.
India is very proud of your contributions. You are an inspiration for our citizens. https://t.co/iGta4a3sbz
You did your best, Bhavani. You tried really hard, and you wanted to win so bad. It was evident.
So even though things did not go the way we were expecting them to, it doesn’t matter.
I know an athlete doesn’t measure their accomplishments and failures like that, and it’s fair. But you must see what you have done for your sport and the country.
KIITian @IamBhavaniDevi won India’s 1st ever fencing match in Olympics history, beats World number 4, Tunisia’s Ben Azizi on debut. Bhavani is ranked as world No. 32. She defeated a very strong player.
— Achyuta Samanta (@achyuta_samanta) July 26, 2021
1/2#BhavaniDevi #TokyoOlympics2021 pic.twitter.com/shiff3wAFE
You must see what you have done for all the young people who talked about fencing in groups but were ignored because “who cares about fencing?!”.
You must see what you have done for all Indians, who now have a new sport to follow, and say, “One of ours was right up there”.
We are a country desperately looking for some reason, any reason, to be happy. You must see how happy you have made us.
You shouldn’t say sorry, Bhavani. We are proud of you.