Amita Berthier becomes Singapore's first female fencer to qualify for Olympics

With her 15-14 victory over Yana Alborova at the 2021 Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament on Sunday, Amita Berthier not only became the first Singaporean fencer to earn a trip to the Tokyo Games, but also became the first female Singaporean fencer to ever qualify for the Olympics.

Berthier, 20, already has an impressive track record at international fencing events. She's won three gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games, including two for individual foil (2017 and 2019) and one for team foil (2019). She also won a bronze medal for team foil at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

Currently attending the University of Notre Dame, Berthier was named First Team All-American and ACC Fencer of the Year in women’s foil as a freshman in 2019.

Berthier will be joined in Tokyo by fellow Singaporean fencer Kiria Tikanah, who qualified for the Olympics with her victory over Kazakhstan's Ulyana Balaganskaya on Monday.