Vinesh Phogat created history on the second day of Asian Games to become first Indian female wrestler to win gold at the continental event.
Vinesh Phogat on Monday created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at the Asian Games, brushing aside her rivals with rather ease in the 50kg freestyle category. She was a medal-favourite in her category and was likely to face stiff competition from Japan’s Yuki Irie whom she outplayed 6-2 in the final. The gold medal is a ground-breaking achievement for the 23-year-old from Haryana, who is connected to Dangal-famed Phogat family.
Phogat’s run to the final had been a confident and dominating one. In the semifinal round, Phogat defeated Uzbekistan’s Yakhshimuratova Dauletbike 10-0 in just 75 seconds, rolling off her opponent thrice in a leg-lock.
The Indian wrestler started her quarterfinals match against Kim Hyung-joo of Korea by taking six points. Phogat ended the bout with a four-point throw to win the match 11-0 with a technical superiority.
At the start of the day, Phogat faced her Rio opponent Sun Yanan, against whom she had suffered heart-breaking leg-injury, leading to her shock exit. This time, however, Phogat started well by rolling her on to the shoulder to receive two points. She went on to beat her opponent 8-2 to kickstart the day and her campaign to the gold medal.
Source : Indian Express