2024-08-07 01:54:42
Paris: Vinesh Phogat is just one win away from creating history in the Paris Olympics. 29-year-old Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic wrestling final. In this way, Vinesh Phogat has a golden opportunity to become the first female wrestler to win a gold medal in the Olympics. On Tuesday, in the 50 kg weight category semi-final, she defeated her Cuban opponent wrestler Yusnelis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in a one-sided fashion. After taking the lead in the initial period, Vinesh started aggressively in the second period and took a 5-0 lead with a strong grip on the opponent wrestler’s right leg. The Cuban wrestler then tried to get hold of Vinesh, but her attempt failed in front of Vinesh’s brilliant defense. Now Vinesh’s final will be on Wednesday at around 10 pm against USA’s Sarah Ann.
Golden opportunity to make history
Vinesh is challenging for the first time in the 50 kg category in the Olympics. Earlier she used to play in the 53 kg category. Vinesh has medals in every major game except the Olympics. This includes Commonwealth Games gold, Asian Games title, two World Championship bronzes and eight Asian Championship medals. However, she could not win medals in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. 29-year-old Vinesh Phogat spent a lot of time away from the mat last year, leading protests against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan after accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Vinesh reached the final after winning three consecutive matches
The journey to the final was miraculous
Vinesh Phogat had earlier created a big upset in the Olympic Games by defeating the undefeated defending champion Yui Susaki and then defeating Oksana Livach of Ukraine to make it to the semi-finals. In the semi-final match, Lopez tried to catch Vinesh’s leg in the initial period, but due to his over-defensive play, the Indian wrestler got a chance to take a one-point lead. In the men’s category, Sushil Kumar and Ravi Dahiya have the experience of playing Olympic finals, but both of them could only win silver medals, so Vinesh will have a chance to become the country’s first gold medalist in wrestling.