Vinesh Phogat is a win away from an Olympic medal in Paris. In her third appearance at the Olympics, after a rickety road to Paris, the 29-year-old wrestler is close to completing one of the greatest redemption stories in Indian sporting history. The Haryana wrestler finally lived up to the billing at the Games, using all her experience to overcome the first two challenges in Paris on Tuesday, August 6. Vinesh Phogat stormed into the women’s 50 kg category semi-finals after beating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5 in the last-eight round. Vinesh dominated the battle throughout and fended off a late surge from her opponent to inch ever so closer to realising her dream.
However, it was the Round of 16 victory that sent shockwaves in the wrestling community. Vinesh, who had dropped to compete in the 50kg category after her compatriot Antim Panghal took the 53kg category, was drawn against Yui Susaki, one of the greatest modern-day wrestlers from Japan. Yui’s statistics went viral on the eve of Vinesh’s bout as wrestling fans in India were praying for a moment of magic to overcome the odds, which were heavily stacked against her.
YUI SUSAKI’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL DEFEAT
Vinesh Phogat took the mat against Yui Susaki in the morning session at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris, knowing she was facing one of the toughest bouts of her life. It was an emotional moment for Vinesh, who faced backlash for being the face of the much-talked-about wrestlers’ protests in India last year.
Yui had an international record of 82-0 before she took the mat against Vinesh. Yui did not lose a single point en route to the Gold medal in Tokyo Olympics. The defending champion had just lost three bouts in her entire life.
