PHOGAT FELLS GIANTS

Becomes first Indian woman grappler to enter Olympic finals

- S KANNAN

Vinesh Phogat was like fire on the mat. The Indian heroine tore up the form book and her rivals, and will now fight for gold in the 50kg weight category at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On Tuesday, we witnessed the most aggressive Vinesh tear apart her opponents. It began with a superb win against Yui Susaki, the powerful Japanese wrestler. This set the tone for the day and late evening. By sunset, Vinesh crushed tall Cuban Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals. This is a historic string of performances, and Vinesh has shown phenomenal hunger and determination to win an Olympic medal.

How Vinesh has maintained such good shape and energy is a remarkable story. Her pain and problems began at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The Tokyo campaign was also a disaster. But then, fighting with flair and fluency, without being defensive, Vinesh won three bouts on Tuesday. She has secured India’s fourth medal in the Paris Olympics, which is sure to be an emotional moment.