Paris (France): Ace India wrestler Vinesh Phogat has qualified for the semi-final bout in the women's 50kg event and is just a win away from assuring a medal for the country in the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday. She defeated Ukraine's Oksana Livanch, a former European champion and 2018 world championship bronze-medallist, 7-5 in the quarterfinal bout, which turned out to be a cliffhanger clash.
This victory came a few after her opening bout emphatic victory against Japan's Yiu Susaki, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and someone who has never lost an international match in her career, to cause the biggest wrestling upset of the ongoing Summer Games. Susaki had a track record of 82-0 before the start of her Paris Games campaign.
Vinesh, who made the quarterfinal exit, represented the country in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics and had failed to win a medal in her two previous Olympic appearances. She made the Round of 16 exit in the Rio Games while failing to make the semi-final after suffering a defeat in the quarterfinal.
Women's Freestyle 50 kg Quarter-Finals👇🏻
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 6, 2024
After upsetting #Tokyo2020 gold medallist🥇 Susaki, @Phogat_Vinesh 🇮🇳 next outclasses Ukraine's🇺🇦 Oksana Livach 7-5 in the quarter-finals to advance to the semis of the #Paris2024Olympics.
With this win, Vinesh is now just one win away… pic.twitter.com/8iO5BeH2Hu
Later tonight, the 29-year-old Indian wrestler will square off against Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final bout clash. A win will assure her of at least a silver while a loss will take her into the bronze medal playoff.
Yusneylis Guzman Lopez is an American Pan Games gold medalist. She had also competed in the Tokyo Olympics but suffered a loss in her first match against China's eventual silver medalist Sun Yanan of China. However, she then competed in a repechage match, but she was defeated by Vinesh's current quarter final rival and Ukraine's Oksana Livanch.
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