Star Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has secured her place in the semi finals of the women’s 50kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024 by defeating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach with a score of 7-5 in the quarter finals. This victory brings her one step closer to capturing an elusive Olympic medal.
Phogat began her Paris Olympics campaign with a notable win against top seed and Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the women’s 50kg freestyle round of 16. Although Susaki led 1-0 at the end of the first period, Phogat made an impressive comeback in the second period to win 3-2 and advance to the quarter finals.
Susaki, a three-time world champion and the reigning Asian level champion in the 50kg freestyle category, was a formidable opponent. Vinesh’s ability to turn the match around highlights her strong performance in this year’s Olympics.
Unfortunately, Nisha Dahiya’s campaign came to an end after a tough quarter-final loss to North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum in the women’s 68kg competition.
Dahiya, who was leading 8-2, suffered an injury and was forced to take medical timeouts. Sol Gum capitalized on the situation, overcoming the deficit to win 10-8. Earlier, Dahiya had secured a 6-4 victory over Tetiana Sova in the round of 16.
In the Paris Olympics, Bharat has six wrestlers competing from August 5 to 11. Vinesh Phogat, a two-time Olympian, is competing in the women’s 50kg category, having previously competed in the 48kg and 53kg categories in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, respectively.
Antim Panghal, making her Olympic debut in the women’s 53kg category, secured her spot with a World Championships bronze medal last year. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg) and U-23 world champion Reetika Hooda (women’s 76kg) are also debuting at the Olympics.
Aman Sehrawat is the sole representative for Bharat in men’s freestyle wrestling, competing in the 57kg category. Sehrawat is an Asian Games bronze medallist.
Bharat has won a total of seven Olympic wrestling medals to date, including two silver and five bronze.
