Vinesh Phogat made history. With Himalayan determination, the two-time World championships medallist overcame odds galore to succeed in her third Olympics, by reaching the final of the women’s 50kg final. She was the first Indian woman wrestler to do so.
After stunning World and Olympic champion Yui Susaki 3-2 in the opening round, Vinesh defeated Oksana Livach 7-4 in the quarterfinals and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman 5-0 in the semifinals to become the second Indian woman wrestler to secure an Olympic medal after Sakshi Malik.
Incidentally, both Vinesh and Sakshi were the two prominent faces of wrestlers’ protest against alleged sexual harassment by the former Wrestling Federation of India top brass.
Vinesh gained from the Cuban’s passivity to lead 1-0 after the first period and employed a right leg attack to effect a takedown for a 3-0 lead and gathered two more points to make it 5-0 and go into the history books.
