Indian Wrestlers Dominate at Asian Qualifiers, Eyeing Paris Berths with Vinesh Phogat Leads the Charge.
The Asian Olympic Wrestling Qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan witnessed a dominant display by Indian wrestlers particularly Vinesh Phogat, Anshu Malik, and Reetika.
These wrestlers are on the cusp of securing their berths at the Paris Olympics, raising hopes for a strong Indian contingent on the wrestling mats this summer.
Vinesh Phogat: A Masterclass in Efficiency
Vinesh Phogat, a household name in Indian wrestling, lived up to her reputation in the 50 kg category. Her experience and strategic prowess were evident throughout the competition. She wasted no time in dismantling her opponents, starting with a clinical display of technical superiority against Korea’s Miran Cheon in the opening round.
This was followed by an even more decisive victory over Cambodia’s Smanang Dit, whom Vinesh pinned within a staggering 67 seconds.
Vinesh’s performance has put her a mere win away from securing a quota for the Olympics. For that She’ll be facing Laura Ganikyzy of Kazakhstan in the semifinals and looking at the current form of Vinesh it is expected from her to win the quota comfortably.
Anshu Malik, Reetika and Mansi : Rising Stars Shine Bright
Anshu Malik (57 kg), the 2021 World Championship silver medalist, mirrored Vinesh’s dominance. Receiving a bye into the quarterfinals, she wasted no time in dispatching Kyrgyzstan’s Kalmira Bilimbekova with a convincing technical superiority victory.
Now she’ll face Laylokhon Sobirova of Uzbekistan in the semifinal for the olympic spot and as Sobirova is a great talent and bronze medalist of Asian Games 2023 hence Anshu should not take her lightly and give her best to get the quota.
U23 World Champion Reetika (76kg) displayed similar prowess. She effortlessly outclassed her opponents, Eunju Hwang of Korea and Davaanasan Enkh Amar of Mongolia, with technical superiority victories in both matches.
However, her final group bout against China’s Juang Wang offered a glimpse of the challenges that lie ahead. Although Reetika established an early 8-0 lead, the Chinese wrestler displayed impressive resilience, clawing back six points.
Despite a last-minute move by Reetika, the point wasn’t awarded due to timing restrictions, offering a sigh of relief for the Indian camp. This incident serves as a reminder that the path to Olympic glory is paved with determined opponents.
In the Semifinals she’ll be facing Hui T.CHANG of Chinese Taipei and looking at the results of today’s bouts we can easily expect a quota from Reetika as she has beaten a lot more experienced wrestlers than Chang.
Mansi Faces a Tough Challenge
Mansi Ahlawat (62kg) also joined the winning contingent, defeating Kazakhstan’s Irina Kuznetsova 6-4 to secure a spot in the semifinals. And now in the semifinals she’ll be facing Mun Hyon-gyong from DPR Korea who had beaten Nonoka Ozaki at the Asian games and clinched the gold medal hence it’ll be a very tough task for Mansi to get the quota but let’s hope for the best.
With at least two to four quotas for India seemingly guaranteed based on the current performance, and a potential sweep not out of the question, the future looks bright for Indian wrestling in Paris.
All eyes will be on the remaining semifinals as these talented athletes fight for their Olympic dreams.
Written by Ishant
