Amita Berthier exits Paris Olympics after narrow loss to world number 11 Lauren Scruggs

PARIS: The disappointment etched on Amita Berthier’s face was a testament to the 23-year-old’s growth as a fencer.

Despite going up against an opponent more than 20 places ahead of her in the world rankings, it was a battle that the Singaporean felt she could have won. And she nearly did just that.

Berthier was eliminated from the Paris Olympics on Sunday (Jul 28) after a narrow 13-15 loss to world number 11 Lauren Scruggs in the women’s foil table of 32.

“Overall I’m just disappointed by my loss. I wanted to go all the way today, I know that I could have beaten anybody in my path,” she told reporters.

“I was feeling good, (but) it just didn’t turn out well for me, I guess.”

Making her second appearance at the Olympics, world number 35 Berthier put up a strong fight against the American at the Grand Palais.

She overturned an early four-point deficit to lead 12-9 before the scores were tied up at 13-13. Scruggs would go on to clinch victory and move on to the next round.

“Performance-wise, I did pretty well, I stuck to the plan my coach and I did, just unfortunately that I missed a couple of touches where I could have gotten the lead or could have won the match there and then,” Berthier said.

The 23-year-old is a three-time SEA Games champion, and in 2021 became the first Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title after she and her University of Notre Dame teammates took the team event.

At the last Olympics, Berthier was eliminated in the table of 32 after a 15-4 loss to Lee Kiefer. The American, currently the world number one, eventually went on to win the gold.