Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat made a strong start at the ongoing Paris Olympics, securing a dominant victory in the round of 16 of the men’s 57 kg freestyle competition on Thursday. Aman defeated former European champion Vladimir Egorov with a commanding 10-0 scoreline, advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal match is scheduled for 4:20 PM.
In other wrestling news, Anshu Malik, competing in the women’s 57 kg freestyle category, faced a tough challenge against the USA’s Helen Maroulis. Anshu was defeated 2-7 in her bout.
Meanwhile, Indian wrestling saw a major development as World Championships medalist Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from the sport following her disqualification in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling final at the Paris Olympics. Phogat had advanced to the gold medal bout after defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night. However, she was disqualified on Wednesday for breaching the weight limit, which prevented her from competing against the United States’ Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the gold medal.
Phogat has since appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to award her the silver medal. A verdict on her appeal is expected on Thursday, according to a source from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
In another setback for Indian wrestling, Nisha Dahiya’s campaign at the Paris Olympics came to an unfortunate end in the quarterfinals of the women’s 68 kg competition. Nisha was defeated by North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum with a narrow 8-10 loss. Despite leading 8-2 at one point, Nisha sustained an injury that required medical timeouts, allowing Sol Gum to stage a comeback and win the match.
Earlier in the round of 16, Nisha had secured a 6-4 victory over Tetiana Sova at the Champs de Mars Arena. This marked Nisha’s debut at the Olympics, where she managed to reach the quarterfinals.
(ANI)
