Singapore fencer Kiria Tikanah qualifies for Paris Olympics

SINGAPORE: It all came down to a nail-biting final bout, but fencer Kiria Tikanah held her nerve and on Sunday (Apr 28) qualified for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The 23-year-old emerged tops in the women’s epee final at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after beating India’s Taniksha Khatri 15-13.

The final ended in dramatic fashion with Kiria leading 14-13, when her opponent committed a second offence and was given a second red card, with the final point awarded to the Singaporean.

En route to the final, the Singaporean beat Philippines Hanniel Abella (15-8) and edged out Mongolia’s Amarzaya Batsaikhan 15-13 in the semifinals.

Kiria, who is ranked 64th in the world, made her Games debut at the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

"(I'm) very excited to make my second Olympics," said Kiria.

"Excited to compete at the Olympics again but at the same time there is some anticipation in the air because qualifying means a lot more work to be done, more intense training, more competitions et cetera." 

She is the second Singapore fencer to book her ticket to Paris, after compatriot Amita Berthier confirmed her spot at the Games last month.

"(I) definitely felt very relieved that the competition was over, especially since there was a lot of pressure and stress throughout the day," added Kiria, who needed to win her event to earn her spot.

Berthier, 23, qualified for the Olympics after finishing joint 20th in the women's foil event at the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Grand Prix in Washington on Mar 17.

Kiria joins a number of Singapore athletes who have qualified for the Games, including reigning Asian Games 200m champion Shanti Pereira, kitefoiler Max Maeder and