Sakshi wins bronze, ends India's medal drought

Sakshi Malik wins first medal for India in Women's 58-kg freestyle; meanwhile, Japan's Kaori Icho wins gold.

August 17, 2016 04:10 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 02:31 am IST - RIO DE JANEIRO

India’s campaign now has been reduced to four disciplines — track and field, badminton, women’s golf and wrestling — after the flop show put up by the contingent in other sports. Day 12 of the Rio Games features medal action in track and field, beach volleyball, wrestling.

Kidambi Srikanth played his heart out before going down fighting against two-time defending champion Lin Dan in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles badminton event. Indian women wrestlers — Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik — crossed the first hurdle by registering contrasting victories in their respective weight divisions in the Rio Olympic Games.

Latest Updates (All time IST):

4:30 hrs: “Meri 12 saal ki tapasya rang layi (It’s the result of my 12 years’ dedication), says Sakshi after winning the medal.

0305 hrs: Japan's Kaori Icho wins gold medal in 58-kg freestyle wrestling. She beats Russia's Valeria Koblova.

0250 hrs: In a tremendous comeback, Sakshi wins the first medal for India, beats her opponent by two points. > Read more

0247 hrs: Sakshi fights back, behind by one point.

0240 hrs: India's Sakshi Malik plays against Kyrgyzstan's Aisuluu Tynybekova for bronze medal in 58-kg freestyle wrestling.

0235 hrs: Tunisia's Marwa Amri changes th game in last few seconds winning four points straight and winning a bronze medal.

0228 hrs: Tunisia's Marwa Amri competes against Azerbaijan's Yuliya Ratkevich for bronze medal in 58-kg Women's freestyle.

0156 hrs: Japan's Eri Tosaka wins gold in a very exciting match.

0155 hrs: Eri Tosaka of Japan takes on Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in 48-kg Women's Wrestling final match.

0112 hrs: And she wins! Sakshi Malik keeps hope alive, wins Repêchage round by nine points.

0111 hrs: What looks like an one-sided match, Sakshi leads by eight points.

0109 hrs: Sakshi Malik leads by three points. The Indian pinned her down though fails to flip her opponent, but easily gets two points.

0100 hrs: Sakshi Malik takes on her opponent in first few seconds, gains two points. The Mongolian catches up soon, leveling the score.

1252 hrs: India's Sakshi Malik will be seen again in action, to face Mongolia's Orkhon Purevdorj in Repêchage round in wrestling.

2118 hrs:

2114 hrs: And Malik now once again nearly pinned, and the Russian accumulates the points to take the match 9-2, the winner by points . She can still make Bronze, though, via Repechage , if Zholobowa makes it to the final.

2112 hrs: Malik lost a few points there as Zholobowa had her nearly pinned for quite a stretch of time. By the time she untangled herself, she found herself with a five-point deficit, 2-7.

2111 hrs: Pretty defensive display from both wrestlers in the first period. Very tight as the score is 1-0 in the Russian's favour with 4 minutes left.

2106 hrs:Sakshi Malik is now saying a little prayer as she enters the ring against Russia's Koblova Zholobowa in the Women's 58-kg Freestyle Wrestling semifinal .

2104 hrs: Turns out Aditi Ashok is not doing half bad for being the youngest woman golfer in the Olympic fray. She finishes the first Nine Tied 13th at 1 under par.

2035 hrs: And Phogat is suffering her second injury today , as she trailed 1-2 in the first period. And this time it is serious, as the stretcher is brought out. She forfeits the match as a result , and Sun Yanan goes through.

2031 hrs: And Vinesh Phogat is out in the ring for her Quarterfinal bout against China's Sun Yanan in the women's 48-kg Freestyle Wrestling .

2021 hrs: A brilliant takedown by Sakshi Malik — wins against Moldova's Mariana Cherdivara-Esanu, enters women's Wrestling Quarterfinal .

2019 hrs: Sakshi takes the lead! She's ahead by two points, at 5-3.

2015 hrs: Two-and-a-half minutes into the match, Sakshi's down 0-3.

2016 hrs: Sakshi Malik's pre-quarters match against Moldova's Mariana Cherdivara-Esanu begins.

2003 hrs: As results start to filter in, it appears Lukka's time was an Indian Olympic record, but won't be good enough to let her progress.

1940 hrs: Tintu Lukka is now competing in the 3rd Heat of the Women's 800 metre track event. She took an early lead but then her energy dwindled as she failed to pace herself. Finishes 6th , with a timing of 2:00.58, her personal best.

1925 hrs: Meanwhile, another Indian woman featuring today is 18-year-old Aditi Ashok, the youngest golfer in the fray . She is tied 10th currently , at 1 under par after 4 holes.

1915 hrs: And Vinesh Phogat defeats the Romanian 10-0 on Technical Superiority. A whitewash, that was. So, both women wrestlers are through to the next round.

1911 hrs: Phogat is having a rock-solid bout, leading 6-0 after just 2 minutes 31 seconds into the match.

1909 hrs: After Sakshi Malik's victory, now Vinesh Phogat is taking on Romania's Emilia Alina Vuc in the women's 48-kg freestyle wrestling . Trouble up-front as she seems to have strained her arm. But she is good to go.

1902 hrs: And the defending champion has grabbed his chance and sends Srikanth packing 21-7 11-21 21-18 .

1900 hrs: Dan one point away now, after Srikanth nets a smash.

1858 hrs: Dan gaining towards the finish line now, with some unbelievably deceptive dabs, leads 19-16 now.

1854 hrs: This game is way too close for anyone's comfort, players, coaches, spectators. Dan leads 16-14 now.

1847 hrs: From having been 0-4 down, Sakshi makes an almighty push to win the match 5-4 . She will face Moldova's Mariana Esanu Cherdivara in the pre-quarters later today

1845 hrs: Meanwhile, in the women's freestyle 58 kg , Sakshi Malik takes on Sweden's Johanna Mattsson .

1844 hrs: Both players neck-and-neck here. Lin Dan's fluency being matched by Srikanth's persistence.

1841 hrs: Some unbelievable badminton on show here, with both players hitting and responding to spry shots. 6-6.

1835 hrs: Lin Dan takes the lead 4-2 in the decider. Srikanth, though, is respoinding to Dan's tactics well here.

1831 hrs: And the Guntur boy takes the second game 21-11 with a clinical smash into the Chinaman's left court. Both players charged up for the final game of the match.

1829 hrs: Srikanth is gaining confidence now. Slashing it with more acute angles, he is leading the second game 17-9. A few more points to take it into the decider.

1821 hrs: Srikanth is winning a string of points here, 11-5 at the mid-game break now.

1819 hrs: Lin Dan is approaching this with a nonchalance befitting a world no. 3. It's taking Srikanth all his energy to keep his lead from being eroded.

1814 hrs: Srikanth has taken a 3-0 lead in the second game. We shall see how long it lasts, given the sheer formidability of Lin Dan.

1808 hrs: Lin Dan is playing an impregnable unassailable game. Invariably taking Srikanth's smashes and finishing points with just the one definitive smash.

1801 hrs: Bad news, the gap seems to be increasing by the minute. Srikanth's way behind his opponent, score reads: 1-11.

1751 hrs: A mixed start for the Indian, he's 3 points behind in the first game so far. Score: 1-4

1744 hrs: Srikanth's match is up next.

1743 hrs: Lee Chong Wei cruises to the semifinals of men's singles, beats Chou Tien-chen 21-9, 21-15.

1733 hrs: And, looks like Lee Chong Wei's going to take the second game too. The score reads: 15-9.

1717 hrs: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei takes the first game comfortably.

1712 hrs: The first badminton quarterfinals of the day — between Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen — is under way. And, it seems like Lee Chong Wei is having the upper hand in the match.

1700 hrs: More controversy at the Games. Police issue a warrant for International Olympic Committee executive suspected of ticket scalping.

1645 hrs: Meanwhile, shooter Jitu Rai has been recommended for Khel Ratna. The 29-year-old, ranked third in the world in the men’s 10m air pistol, was one of two Indian shooters to make the final of their respective events in Rio. > Full story...

1614hrs: On Day 12 of the Rio Games, beach volleyballers will be spiking for gold, Usain Bolt heads back to the track for a 200 meter semifinal and China is aiming to pull off another gold medal sweep in Olympic table tennis.

A total of 17 gold medals are up for grabs four of them on the track. American women are seeking a sweep in the 100-metre hurdles, and a showdown is on tap in the women’s 200 meters between Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands and American Tori Bowie.

In non-medal matches, Brazilian star Neymar is aiming to turn boos into cheers and cement a place in Rio’s gold medal soccer match as his team takes on Honduras in the semifinals. Nigeria and Germany compete for the other final spot.

It’s a win-or-go home game as the U.S. men’s basketball team faces Argentina in the quarterfinals. Golfers tee off as the women’s Olympic golf tournament begins and BMX racers appear at the Rio Olympics for the first time.

India's schedule for today:

Golf

Women's individual (Aditi Ashok) at 4.00 p.m.

Badminton

Quarterfinals of men's singles (K. Srikanth) at 5.50 p.m.

Wrestling

Women's freestyle 58 kg qualification (Sakshi Malik) at 6.38 p.m.

Women's freestyle 48 kg Round of 16 (Vinesh Phogat) at 6.46 p.m.

Athletics

Women's 800m Round 1 (Tintu Lukka) at 7.39 p.m.

1601 hrs: Can China pull off another double Olympic sweep in table tennis?

It’s sure aiming to.

China is looking to cement its domination of table tennis by repeating in Rio what it did at 2012 London Olympics-sweeping gold in both the singles and the team competitions.

The Chinese men’s team faces faces off Wednesday against Japan for the gold, while Germany and South Korea play for the bronze. China’s Ma Long has already taken gold in singles over fellow countryman Zhang Jike, and female player Ding Ning beat fellow Chinese player Li Xiaoxia.

China’s women’s team won the gold Tuesday and if the men win, as widely expected, China will have taken all the golds in play in Rio.

Beach Volleyball

The lineup for the medal matches of women’s beach volleyball was being set Tuesday with Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross playing for a spot in the gold—medal game against Brazilian world champions Agatha and Barbara.

The winner will face Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst at 11.59 p.m.

Walsh Jennings is going for her fourth gold, and Ross is looking to improve on the silver she earned when she lost to her fellow Americans in the London final.

Earlier Tuesday, top-seeded Brazilian women Talita and Larissa lost to Germany and will play in the bronze medal match at 10 p.m.

Track and field

Expect a good showdown between Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands and Tori Bowie of the U.S. in the 200 meters at 10-30 p.m. following semifinals Tuesday night. Bowie is coming off a silver in the 100. There’s no worry about Allyson Felix , the reigning Olympic champ, because she didn’t qualify at Olympic trials.

The American women are thinking sweep in the 100 hurdles at 10.55 p.m. This despite world record holder Keni Harrison not even making the team at trials. It’s that deep.

American Brittney Reese gets started in trying to defend her long jump title at 9.15 p.m.

Ashton Eaton of the U.S. kicks off the defense of his decathlon title. He’s trying to become the first to win back to back decathlon titles since Daley Thompson of Britain in 1980 and 1984.

Basketball

After meeting in the semifinals of the last three Olympics, the U.S. men’s basketball team and Argentina square off in the quarterfinals at 6.45 p.m. The Americans, challenged in their last three games, would fail to medal in the Olympics for the first time with a loss.

Football

At 4 p.m., Nigeria and Germany play in the other semifinal. The gold medal match is Saturday.

Table Tennis

China is looking to cement its domination of table tennis by repeating in Rio what it did in London- sweeping gold in the singles and team competitions. The gold medal team competition against Japan starts at 7-30 p.m.

China’s Ma Long has already taken gold over fellow countryman Zhang Jike, and Ding Ning beat fellow Chinese player Li Xiaoxia. The women’s team competition continues Wednesday, and if China wins, as widely expected, it will have taken all the golds in play in Rio.

Germany and South Korea play for the bronze.

Golf

The women have all the best players. Now they try to live up to men’s sensational performance in Olympic golf.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Brooke Henderson of Canada and the top nine women in the world tee it up starting at 7.30 a.m. at Olympic Golf Course, the first time for women playing golf in the Olympics since 1900.

Inbee Park is among four South Koreans in the 60-player field. The seven-time major champion has not played on the LPGA Tour in two months because of a thumb injury. The Americans have three players, including newlywed Stacy Lewis.

Even though six of the top 10 men did not come to Rio, it ended with high drama when Justin Rose made birdie on the last hole to beat Henrik Stenson, with Matt Kuchar closing with 63 to take the bronze.

Volleyball

The U.S. will face Poland in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. after the Americans won their final three pool-play matches following an 0-2 start . Canada, back in the Olympics for the first time since 1992, plays defending Olympic champion Russia in the opening quarterfinal at 10 a.m.

Italy takes on Olympic first-timer Iran at 6 p.m., while host Brazil advanced on the final day of preliminary play Monday and draws Argentina at 10.15 p.m.

Wrestling

Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho will attempt to become the first woman to win an individual gold at four consecutive Olympics. Five men have done it, including Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps (2016)

Boxing

Top American boxer Claressa Shields fights for the first time in the tournament. Shields unexpectedly dominated the first Olympic women’s boxing tournament in London and won the gold medal. She’s a favorite to win another. Shields hasn’t lost a fight since London, winning two world championships and a Pan.American Games title. The fight is scheduled for 2.30 p.m.

Uzbekistan fighter Shakhram Giyasov faces Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan at 4.30 p.m. for the men’s welterweight gold.

BMX Cycling

It’s time for BMX racers to hit the green track at the Summer Olympics, with seeding runs starting at 1.30 p.m. to set up the men’s quarterfinals that begin Thursday. Maris Strombergs of Latvia, the only man to win the event since BMX was added to the Olympics in 2008, is going for a third straight gold. On the women’s side, Mariana Pajon of Colombia is the defending champ.

It’s the riders’ first chances to see the course since the International Cycling Union said that there was no damage from a wildfire this week that would “affect the competition or the integrity of the venue.”

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