Paris: Vinesh Phogat (50kg) became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the Olympic Games with a convincing 5-0 win over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez on Tuesday. With this semifinal victory, Vinesh secured at least a silver medal. Both wrestlers started cautiously, but a passivity clock against Lopez allowed Vinesh to score a technical point after the Cuban failed to take risks.
Vinesh led 1-0 at the end of the first period and extended her dominance in the second period, adding four more points to seal the bout in her favor. Earlier, Vinesh advanced to the semifinals following impressive wins against reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan and Ukraine’s eighth seed Oksana Livach, marking a memorable day for the determined Indian grappler. She had faced a quarter-final exit in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 editions.
