Five competitors from Odisha failed to win a single medal in the first three days of the Para Fencing World Cup, which is scheduled to conclude at the Eastern National Sports Training Center in Pattaya City, Thailand tomorrow.

Four out of five Odisha para-fencers, including one woman, were in action on the third day today. But none of the four could qualify for the pre-quarterfinals. Odisha competitors also came a cropper on the first two days.

It may be recalled that six para-fencers from Odisha, including five who are competing at the ongoing World Cup, had reaped a rich harvest of 11 medals (6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) in the Commonwealth Fencing Championship, held in Lagos, Nigeria from 11 to 14 August 2026.

The five Odisha para fencers participating in the World Cup, which is an open competition, are: Rakhal Kumar Sethy, Venkateshwar Ramesh Rao, Pabitra Sahu, Omm Prakash Behera and Kumari Malti Panaure.

PERFORMANCE OF ODISHA PARA FENCERS (DAY-2):

Mens Foil (Category A):

Rakhal Kumar Sethy: Won four out of six matches at the pool stage to qualify for Table of 64, where he beat Chutimon Boasakorn 15-10 and then lost to Lam Watson (England) 4-15. Sethy finished 26th among 47 competitors.

Venkateshwar Ramesh Rao: Won three out of six matches at the pool stage to qualify for Table of 64, where he lost to Serge Robin (France) 14-15 and finished 34th among 47 competitors.

Mens Foil (Category B):

Omm Prakash Behera: Won three out of six matches at the pool stage to qualify for Table of 64, where he got a bye and then lost to Fan Li Zhu (China) 3-15 and finished 24th among 37 competitors.

Womens Epee (Category A):

Kumari Malti Panaure: Won two matches out of six at the pool stage to advance to the Table of 64, where she beat Fabiana Soares (Brazil) 15-11 and then lost to Zufeng Zou (China) 1-15 in Table-32. Malti finished 30th among 40 competitors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Leading Odisha competitor Rakhal Kumar Sethy poses at the Para Fencing World Cup in Pattaya City, Thailand.