Vinesh Phogat accomplished a feat that no Indian female wrestler has ever accomplished when she defeated Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman 5-0 in points during the semifinal round of the 50 kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Thus, Vinesh guaranteed India’s fourth medal at the Olympics in Paris when she competes against American Sarah Hildebrandt in the gold-winning match on Wednesday at the Champ-de-Mars Arena Mat B.
Vinesh started the semifinal on the defensive after upsetting Japan’s previously unbeaten Yui Susaki in her first match, creating the biggest stir in the Olympic wrestling competition earlier in the afternoon. She stopped the Cubans from attacking the Indians in their tracks. At the conclusion of Round 1, Vinesh took the lead early on by opening the account with a single technical point.
Similar to her performance against Susaki, Vinesh withstood Guzman’s attempts in the tight semifinal match and waited for the ideal moment to strike, counterattacking with thirty seconds left.
However, Vinesh got the pyrotechnics going earlier in the semifinal. She took a 5-0 lead after scoring four technical points from two consecutive takedowns.
After establishing a commanding lead, Vinesh tightened her defence and won the match with ease, creating history in the process.
When Vinesh competes in the final on Wednesday, she will become the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics and the first Indian nation to win a wrestling gold medal.
She has the opportunity to increase India’s already remarkable wrestling medal total. The nation has won seven wrestling medals at the Olympics, including two silver and five bronze. Only hockey (12 medals) has brought in more for the nation in a single event at the Games.
Yui Susaki, the four-time World Champion and gold medallist from Japan, began her day with a surprise victory over world No. 1 and was undefeated in 95 international bouts during her wrestling career.
She then defeated Oksana Vasylivna Livach of Ukraine 7–5 in her second match of the day to get to her first-ever semifinals.
Vinesh, a 48 kg world champion in the past, is competing in her third Olympics. An injury kept her from winning a gold in the Rio Olympics in 2016. At the Tokyo Olympics, she was defeated by Vanesa Kaladzinskaya in the 53kg quarterfinal. Additionally, she is the first female Indian winner of an Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Read More
PM Modi gives the Indian economy’s “Big Bang” figures
Food inflation may prevent the RBI from changing the repo rate