SINGAPORE — The match was so tight and intense that it could have gone either way, as Singapore’s Amita Berthier and Nora Hajas of Hungary both put on spirited, battling displays in the semi-finals of the cadet women’s foil event at the World Junior and Cadet Championships on Tuesday morning (Singapore time) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Alas, it was Amita who came up narrowly short at the end, as she was eventually beaten 12-10 by her opponent.

That defeat however, will not mar what has been an otherwise successful tournament for the 16-year-old, who still clinched a bronze medal courtesy of her semi-final appearance.

Amita's bronze-medal achievement means that she has become only the second Singaporean to win a medal in the world's top youth fencing tournament.

Her compatriots Rachel Lim and Maxine Wong – regarded as a bright prospect for next year’s Youth Olympic Games – managed to reach the rounds of 64 and 16 in the meet respectively.

Amita’s achievement comes just a year after Lau Ywen won a historic gold medal in the individual sabre cadet event at the same tournament in France.

Then, Amita made it to the quarter-finals of the meet before being eliminated.

This year however, the former Singapore Sports School student, who breezed through the preliminary stages of the meet, beating rivals from Ukraine, Great Britain and Belarus in the process, made no mistake after reaching the last eight.

Pitted against Ukraine’s Anna Taranenko, Amita held her nerve to record a dominant 15-6 victory and secure her spot in the semis. The win also ensured she would not go home empty-handed this time round.

The only question that remained was the colour of the medal that she would be bringing home.

But despite her best efforts in the semis, Amita was unable to overcome Hajas, who subsequently lost 13-9 to Russia’s Adelina Bikbulatova in the final.

Speaking after her match, Amita dedicated her bronze medal to her late father, who died in a workplace accident nearly 14 months ago. 

“I lost my dad 14 months ago, and we were last here in Plovdiv at this very same venue for my world championship debut in 2014," she said. 

“At the time, my dad told me ‘Get to the podium one day, Amita! I know you can do this!’

"So today, this medal honours him, my coaches Ralf Bissdorf and Joseph Engert, and my family from across the world."

(Amita Berthier (centre) with her coaches Ralf Bissdorf (left) and Joseph Engert. Photo: Fencing Singapore Facebook Page)

Amita's bronze medal is the latest feather in the rising young fencer's cap.  Recently awarded a Spex Scholarship, she had showed signs of her potential as early as two years ago, when she won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships.

Last year, she clinched Singapore’s first-ever gold medal in the Under-17 women’s individual foil at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships. She then followed up that feat by helping Singapore to another gold in the meet in the women’s team event.

In her bid to realise her full potential, Amita decided to take the plunge late last year and moved to Boston, in the US, to train full-time under the guidance of German Olympics silver medallist Ralf Bissdorf.

That decision has since paid dividends in the form of the world junior and cadet championships bronze.

“It has been a year of tough choices, training and sacrifice to get to this bronze medal on the world stage," she said.

“My thanks to the Marx Fencing Academy in Boston for having hosted me in the last few months, and to all those who never stopped believing in me.”