Vinesh Phogat has made history by becoming the first Indian woman to advance to an Olympic wrestling final, guaranteeing at least a silver medal in the women’s 50kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 29-year-old wrestler began her campaign with a significant victory over reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki from Japan. She continued her impressive run by defeating former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final, Phogat faced Pan-American champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba. The match commenced with a defensive strategy, allowing Phogat to take an early lead due to Guzman’s passivity. Phogat secured her place in the final with two decisive takedowns in the second period, concluding the match with a 5-0 score.
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This achievement is particularly remarkable given Phogat’s previous Olympic experiences. At Rio 2016, she was a strong medal contender but suffered a serious injury. In Tokyo 2020, she faced another injury and missed out on a medal.
Phogat’s journey to the final is also notable for her role in the wrestlers’ protest leading up to the Paris Games.
With this achievement, Phogat joins Sakshi Malik, the only other Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal, having secured bronze at Rio 2016.
Vinesh Phogat will compete for the gold medal on Wednesday against either Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA, a bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020, or Mongolia’s Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal, a three-time world championships medallist.
