Fencer Karan Singh loses Olympic Qualifier final to miss out on Paris Olympics 2024 quota
Indian fencer Karan Singh failed to secure his spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 after losing to China’s Shen Chenpeng 2-15 in the men’s sabre final at the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier 2024 on April 27, Saturday.
Had Karan Singh won the final against China’s Chenpeng, he would have become the second Indian fencer to make it to the Summer Games after Bhavani Devi, who represented India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
On the other hand, ace Indian fencer Bhavani Devi, who is leading the six-member Indian contingent at the Qualifiers, will be seen in action on April 28, Sunday. She will be carrying the hopes of the entire nation as she aims to make it to the mega event in Paris.
In Pool 1, Karan Singh secured wins over Shao Jun Lin from Chinese Taipei, Tzer Chyuan Wong from Malaysia, Ricky Dhisullimah from Indonesia, and Wei Zuo Dan from Singapore. However, he suffered a loss to Chenpeng.
Moving to the Round of 16, Karan defeated Khalifa Alebri from UAE to make it to last eight. In the quarter-finals, he beat Thailand’s Voragun 15-12 to make it to the semi-final.
In the big last-four game, Karan pulled a major upset against second-seeded Musa Aymuratov of Uzbekistan to secure a 15-14 win. However, in the final, he suffered a defeat against China’s Chenpeng.
Interestingly, the Chinese had defeated Karan earlier in the day in a Pool 1 bout. In his semi-final bout, Chenpeng clinched a win over Ho Tin Low from Hong Kong by 15-6.
Notably, Karan Singh learned the sport at the Army Sports Institute in Pune. He later shifted to Orleans, France, in 2021 to train in an academy Christian Bauer, a fencing coach who specialises in sabre and helped multiple fencers win Olympic medals.
How did Karan Singh make it to the final?
A look at Pool 1 Results:
Defeated Shao Jun Lin (Chinese Taipei)
Lost to Shen Chengpeng (China)
Defeated Tzer Chyuan Wong (Malaysia)
Defeated Ricky Dhisullimah (Indonesia)
Defeated Wei Zuo Dan (Singapore)
Round of 16: Beat Khalifa Alebri (UAE)
Quarter-Final: Beat Voragun Srinualnad (Thailand)
Semi-Final: Beat Musa Aymuratov (Uzbekistan)
Final: Lost to Shen Chenpeng (China).