Add The Wire As Your Trusted Source
HomePoliticsEconomyWorldSecurityLawScienceSocietyCultureEditors-PickVideo
Advertisement

Olympics: Vinesh Phogat Wins Women's 50 kg Freestyle Semi-Final

The wrestler, who was at the helm of protests last year, mounted an upset against Japan's Yui Sasuki earlier today and also beat Ukraine's Oksana Livach.
The Wire Staff
Aug 06 2024
  • whatsapp
  • fb
  • twitter
The wrestler, who was at the helm of protests last year, mounted an upset against Japan's Yui Sasuki earlier today and also beat Ukraine's Oksana Livach.
Photo: X/@Phogat_Vinesh.
Advertisement

New Delhi: Vinesh Phogat won 5-0 the semi-final match in the 50 kg freestyle women's wrestling category against Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman on Tuesday (August 6) evening.

She is now guaranteed a medal at the Paris Olympics.

Earlier on Tuesday, Phogat advanced to the semi-finals upon defeating Ukraine's Oksana Livach, a 2019 European Wrestling Championships gold medallist, 7-5 in a quarter-final match.

Advertisement

This came on top of a 3-2 upset she mounted over Japan's Yui Susaki, who won gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The match marked the Japanese wrestler's first defeat in 95 matches to an opponent from outside her country, United World Wrestling said.

One of the renowned Phogat sisters, Vinesh was the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Advertisement

Her Olympic dreams ended in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she lost to Belarus's Vanesa Kaladzinskaya, who produced a massive upset over the top-seeded Indian.

Last year, Phogat along with fellow wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, were among the main faces of protests against former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing at least seven wrestlers.

During and following the protests, Phogat faced a vicious hate campaign, including death threats, unfold against her, with Singh and many others questioning her abilities.

She said in December in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that she would like to return her Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and her Arjuna Award.

In May, a Delhi court ordered that charges of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman be framed against Singh, saying there was sufficient material to do so.

Singh has denied the allegations against him.

When Phogat qualified for the ongoing Olympics in Paris, she became the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for a third Olympics.

This article went live on August sixth, two thousand twenty four, at forty-five minutes past ten at night.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.

Advertisement
Make a contribution to Independent Journalism
Advertisement
View in Desktop Mode