Geeta Phogat, Babita Phogat, Pooja Dhanda nad Vinesh Phogat were the ones to win medals at the World Wrestling Championship. But, all of them were Bronze medals. Now, after Anshu Malik becomes the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the World Championship final, India have a solid chance to see the flag get hoisted.
Anshu will be up against 2016 Olympic Champion Helen Maroulis for the gold medal. She is now the sixth Indian wrestler to feature in the final of the Wrestling World Championship. The list features Bishambar Singh (1967), Sushil Kumar (2010), Amit Dahiya (2013), Bajrang Punia (2018) and Deepak Punia (2019).
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Malik, who is the current Asian Champion defeated junior European champion Solomiia Vynnyk. She outclassed her opponent by technical superiority. However, another Indian wrestler Sarita Mor lost her semi-final match and will fight for a bronze.
“It’s extremely satisfying. I am so happy. It feels so good. What I could not do at the Tokyo Games I did that here. I fought each and every bout as my last bout.”
Anshu after reaching the final.
Anshu Malik started participating in the senior category only from last year and had some success since then. However, she has stated that the Olympic failure has turned her into someone more motivated and skillful despite the injury.
“The month after the Tokyo Games was very tough. I could not perform as I had wanted at the Games. I suffered an injury (elbow) and can’t explain how much pain I endured one month before the World championship,” Anshu said to PTI.
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Anshu’s technical moves were the reason of her success. She was able to apply take-down move to Vynnyk thrice. Not only that she was able to finish the bouts with some exposure moves.
India’s result at the Wrestling World Championship
Meanwhile, this will India’s only confirmed medal till now in the event. Sarita Mor lost to Bilyana Zhivkova Duodova 0-3. Divya Kakran lost against Japan’s Under-23 world champion Masako Furuich. Ritu Malik, with a knee injury could not handle Ukraine’s Anastasiia Lavrenchuk. Pooja Jatt also lost her repechage against Eucuador’s Luisa Elizabeth Melendres.
