Paris Olympics: Vinesh Phogat To Go For Gold, Assured of A Medal After Reaching 50Kg Wrestling Final

Paris Olympics 2024: Vinesh Phogat has defeated Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman 5-0 and has stormed into the finals of 50kg Freestyle Women's Wrestling. Earlier today. 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 here on Tuesday. With this win in the semifinal, Vinesh guaranteed herself at least a silver medal.

Both wrestlers got off to a cautious start but a passivity clock on Lopez meant that Vinesh got on the board with one technical point after the Cuban didn't take a risk.Vinesh was leading 1-0 at the end of the first period. She extended her dominance in the second period with four more points to seal the bout in her favour.

Earlier, Vinesh entered the semifinals on the back of two incredible wins, against reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan and Ukraine's eighth seed Oksana Livach on a memorable day for the combative Indian grappler. She faced a quarter-final exit in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 editions.

Vinesh Phogat Earns Redemption

Then, as she trained her sights on booking a ticket to the Paris Olympics, a new set of challenges stared her in the eye, as if telling her to leave the scene for good. She had to drop down to 50kg after competing in 53kg for more than five years, there were multiple issues with her trial bouts ahead the Olympic qualifiers, and then there was also the small matter of going through a knee surgery, years after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear at the 2016 Rio Olympics nearly ended her career.

For the feisty wrestler from Haryana whose road to the French capital was always riddled with hurdles, a lot was at stake. Mere mortals would have caved in, but she didn't. Instead, she switched to top gear. It was a reflection of all the things that went into the making of Vinesh Phogat. Finally, her extraordinary journey, from the street protests of Delhi to the podium in Paris, culminated in a historic medal, the colour of which will be known on Wednesday. For now, she has guaranteed herself a silver.

It's a perfect riposte to her detractors in the national federation who criticised her for her leading role in the prolonged protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of intimidation and sexual harassment.

The police got involved, the courts got involved, and the government too stepped in as the residents of the national capital got impatient with the protests that hindered vehicular movements in the heart of Delhi.

Vinesh Answers Her Critics In Style

Around that time, her critics were convinced that warped ideas were bubbling in her head, but Vinesh, who is days away from turning 30, grew even more determined to carry on the fight thanks to her steely resolve and an unquenchable confidence in her ability. These attributes went a long way in helping her win a medal in the world's biggest sporting spectacle, which, in a way, completed her decorated career. It started with the trials where she forced the officials to let her compete in two weight categories and then went on to seal selection in 50kg.

(With PTI Inputs)