Belgrade (Serbia): India’s Vinesh Phogat won the bronze medal in the women’s 53kg at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships, here on Wednesday.
Vinesh, a three-time CWG gold-medallist, got the better of reigning European champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden 8-0 in the bronze medal bout.
The Indian wrestler had earlier beaten Asian Games silver-medallist Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan in the first repechage round. Azerbaijan’s Leyla Gurbanova withdrew due to injury in the second repechage round, taking the Indian through to the medal bout.
This is Vinesh’s second bronze medal at the world championships after her podium finish at the 2019 edition at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Her win was also India’s first medal of the 2022 edition.
India’s U23 worlds bronze-medallist Nisha Dahiya will fight for a senior bronze medal on Thursday after she lost 4-5 to U20 world champion Ami Ishii of Japan in the 68kg semifinals.
Nisha had beaten Lithuania’s Danute Domikaityte, Adela Hanzlickova of the Czech Republic and Bulgarian Sofiya Georgieva – all three European bronze-medallists – in the previous rounds before falling to Ami Ishii.
Meanwhile, 2021 world championships bronze-medallist Sarita Mor could not repeat her heroics this time as she lost 0-7 by fall to U23 world champion Anhelina Lysak of Poland in the round of 16 of the 57kg category. She had earlier beaten CWG bronze-medallist Hannah Taylor of Canada 4-2 in the qualifying round.
Junior Asian champions Mansi Ahlawat and Reetika also made early exits. Reetika lost 2-6 to European bronze-medallist Kendra Dacher of France in the qualifying round of the 72kg.
Mansi Ahlawat beat junior European champion Solomiia Vynnyk of Ukraine 8-5 in the qualifying round before losing 3-5 to European silver-medallist Jowita Maria Wrzesien of Poland in the quarterfinal.
CWG 2022 gold-medallist Naveen Malik will be seen in action on Thursday as the men’s freestyle competition gets underway.
–IANS
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