Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 50 kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics. The Indian grappler defeated Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in her quarterfinal to get to the last four of the tournament.
Vinesh defeated the former European champion in a hard-fought quarterfinal, 7-5. The Indian grappler gained an early advantage and maintained it throughout the first round. She was up 5-2 in the second round when the Ukrainian struck, pushing Vinesh off the court and claiming a point. Vinesh contested it, but conceded another point. She had a 5-4 lead in the final minute before scoring two more points to lead 7-4. Oksana attempted to strike in the last seconds, but Vinesh defended brilliantly to win the match 7-5.
Vinesh has become the first Indian woman wrestler to advance to the Olympic semifinals. While Sakshi Malik earned a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics, she did so through a repechage after losing in the quarterfinals.
Vinesh had previously surprised defending Olympic and world champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the round of 16. Vinesh stunned four-time world champion Susaki with a 3-2 victory in an international tournament. The Indian had been losing throughout the match until the final few seconds, when she unleashed her single attack, tying the score 2-2 with the edge on her side. The Japanese questioned the decision to deny the Indian two points. She failed her challenge, and the Indian earned an additional point to win the battle 3-2.
The semi finals are also set for later this evening. She will face Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman in the semifinals a few hours later, hoping to secure a spot in the finals and compete for gold. Yusneylys had previously defeated Turkey’s Yavuz Evin 7-6 in the round of 16, before defeating Lithuania’s Gabija Dilyte in the quarterfinals.
