World C’ships: Vinesh Bags a Bronze, Pooja Loses Semi-Final
Live updates about the Indian wrestlers in action at the World Championships in Kazakhstan.
Vinesh Seals Bronze!
Vinesh picks up her first points on the counter and nails her opponent to the mat. She holds her for a good duration and her hold is strong enough for her to be straightaway awarded the match.
Vinesh is declared the winner 5-3 (by fall) over her two-time world bronze medalist opponent and clinches the bronze.
This is her first World Championship medal and she’s already booked a berth at the Tokyo Olympics earlier in the day.
Vinesh is only the fifth Indian woman wrestler to win a Worlds medal after Alka Tomar (2006), Geeta Phogat (2012), Babita Phogat (2012) and Pooja Dhanda (2018). She is also one of India's most successful wrestlers with gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, already in her trophy cabinet.
Vinesh Trails 0-1
3 minutes into the bout and Vinesh’s Greek opponent has a 1-0 lead.
A short break and the players are back on the mat.
Vinesh's Bout Underway
India biggest medal hope among the women wrestlers at the World Championships, Vinesh Phogat’s 53 kg category bronze medal match is underway.
Remember, Vinesh is yet to win a Worlds medal.
Vinesh's Match Next Up
The bout before Vinesh’s is currently underway on her mat and the Indian wrestler is set to face Greece’s Maria Prevolaraki for the bronze medal.
Vinesh is competing in her fourth Worlds and will bag her first title at this stage if she wins this bout today.
Vinesh Phogat World Championships Live Action
Vinesh’s bout is the 8th on Mat B and we’re down to the fifth match. You can follow all the live action from the World Championships here.
Pooja Loses Semi-Final
Just 2 minutes and 37 seconds into the semi-final and Pooja Dhanda will not get a chance to better the colour of her 2018 World Championship medal. The Indian ace has lost her bout 10-0 (by technical superiority) to 2017 European champion Liubov Ovcharova and is not out of the running for a gold medal.
She still, however, has a chance of winning a bronze through the repechage rounds tomorrow morning.
Pooja Dhandha Match On
Pooja Dhanda’s semi-final is now underway and she’s fighting 2017 European champion Liubov Ovcharova for a shot in the finals of the 59 kg category.
She’s looking like she’s carrying an injury and her opponent has taken an early 8-0 lead.
World Boxing Championship - Evening Session Underway
The evening session of the Championships is now underway and there’s two Indians who are vying for medals. Vinesh is one win from a bronze while Pooja Danda is fighting a semi-final and if she wins, she’s assured a medal - gold or a silver.
However, since Pooja couldn't win the national trials in her own category, she is not competing in an Olympic category so there is no quota place at stake.
Babita Phogat Congratulates Vinesh
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Babita Phogat congratulates sister Vinesh Phogat for becoming the first Indian wrestler to seal a Tokyo Olympics berth at the World Wrestling Championships.
Wrestling Championships 2019: Day 5 So Far
The morning session of the fifth day at the World Wrestling Championships was packed with action! Here’s a recap of where the Indian wrestlers stand so far.
- Vinesh Phogat won her first two repechage round matches to seal an Olympic berth and enter the bronze medal bout. She will be fighting for her maiden worlds medal later today.
- Pooja Dhanda registered two victories this morning, including a quarterfinal win over the top seed, to seal a semifinal spot. She takes on Russia’s Liubov Ovcharova later this evening.
- Seema Bisla won her first repechage bout, but was defeated by Yasar Dagu silver medallist Ekaterina Poleshchuk in the subsequent round.
- Sarita Mor lost her opening bout and is now out of repechage contention after her opponent, Anastasia Nichita, lost in the quarterfinals.
- Navjot Kaur and Kiran Bishnoi also lost their respective qualification bouts. However, their hopes of reaching the repechage round are still alive as their respective opponents have entered the semifinals.
Pooja Dhanda Enters Semis!
In 59kg, Pooja Dhanda registers a come from behind win against top seed Yuzuka Inagaki of Japan to enter the semifinals!
Trailing 0-5 at one point, the Indian wrestler defeats her World no 5 opponent 11-8 in the quarters.
Relieved, But It's Not Over Yet: Vinesh Phogat
Vinesh Phogat is relieved after sealing an Olympic berth, but says it’s not over yet. The 25-year-old has got her eyes on the bronze.
Vinesh’s coach Woller Akos is still not smiling. "Her motion was not at best but the defence was. We had asked Vinesh to move right and block Sarah's right hand,” he said.
"What it did was that it put Vinesh further away from Sarah, not letting her attack. It also meant that Vinesh could go for her attacks," explained Akos about how they plotted the fall of the American world number
Wrestling Championships 2019: Navjot Loses
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Navjot Kaur (65kg) loses 0-5 to European Championship gold medallist and third seed Elise Manolova in the Eighth Final match.
Navjot joins Sarita and Kiran in the wait to see if her opponent enters the final to hand her a second chance of winning the bronze medal in repechage.
Yogeshwar Congratulates Vinesh
Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt congratulates Vinesh Phogat for securing an Olympic berth and wishes her luck for the upcoming bronze medal bout.
Wrestling Championships 2019: Pooja Dhanda Wins
Pooja Dhanda registers a dominating 12-2 win over Katsiaryna Hanchar Yanushkevich of Belarus to enter the quarterfinals in the 59kg category. The World Championships bronze medallist will next take on top seed Yuzuka Inagaki.
Seema Loses 2nd Repechage Match
Seema Bisla’s run at the World Championships ends with a 3-11 loss to Yasar Dagu silver medallist Ekaterina Poleshchuk in her repechage second match. She fails to seal a Tokyo Olympics berth.
Vinesh Wins Repechage 2nd Match, 1 Win from Bronze
Vinesh Phogat seals India’s first Tokyo Olympics berth in wrestling with an 8-2 win over top seed Sarah Hildebrandt of USA!
The Asian Games gold medallist is now just one win away from clinching her maiden Worlds medal. She will take on two-time world medallist Maria Prevolaraki from Greece in the bronze medal match at 4pm IST today.
Wrestling Championships 2019: Kiran Loses After 4-0 Lead
Kiran Bishnoi loses to 2017 world silver medalist Aline Focken of Germany after holding a 4-0 lead in the 76kg qualification match.
Five unanswered points in the second period gives the third seed a 5-4 win over the 18th seed wrestler.
Another Indian who will have to hope for a second chance in repechage.
Sarita Loses Opening Bout
In the 57kg, Sarita loses 1-5 against European Championship bronze winner Anastasia Nichita in the qualification round.
Her only hope now is that Nichita enters the final and sends her into the repechage round.
Seema Wins Repechage 1st Match
After Vinesh, Seema Bisla (50kg) has also registered a win in her repechage first match. A 9-9 win on criteria over Nigeria’s Miesinnei Mercy Genesis, sends the second seed into the next match against Ekaterina Poleshchuk.
If she gets another win, Seema will enter the bronze medal contest with China’s Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sun Yanan.
Seema had 2-9 against three-time Olympic medallist Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in the opening bout on Tuesday. With the latter progressing into the summit clash, Seema got another golden chance to sniff at a medal and a 2020 Olympic berth.
Wrestling Championships 2019: Vinesh Wins 1st Repechage Bout
Vinesh Phogat is a step closer to bagging her first Worlds medal.
The Asian Games gold medallist has defeated Yuliia Khavaldzhy Blahinya from Ukraine 5-0 in her first bout of the repechage round.
She next takes on last year’s runner-up Sarah Hildebrandt. A win will put Vinesh in the bronze medal bout versus Greece’s two-time World Championships medallist Maria Prevolaraki and also fetch her a Tokyo Olympics qualification.
Yesterday, Vinesh had been pushed out of the title race by reigning champion Mayu Mukaida who beat her 7-0 but the Japanese later reached the final to help Vinesh stay in the medal hunt.
4 Indians Start Campaign
Four Indian women wrestlers will be starting their campaigns.
A year after securing the World Championships bronze, Pooja Dhanda will hope to shine again in 59kg when the seventh seed takes on the sixth-seeded Belarusian Hanchar Yanu in the Round of 16. A win will pit her against the top seed Yuzuka Inagaki in a tough match.
In 57kg, 30th seed Sarita Mor opens against European Championship bronze winner Anastasia Nichita while former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Navjot Kaur (65kg) will meet European Championship gold medallist and third seed Elise Manolova. In 76kg, Kiran also has a difficult opponent in third seed Aline Rotter of Germany.
Six Indians in Action Today
A big day for India at the World Wrestling Championships today. Six wrestlers including the country’s biggest medal hope – Vinesh Phogat – will be in action in Kazakhstan.
Vinesh (53kg) and Seema Bisla (50kg) are in the hunt for a bronze medal as they compete in the repechage round in their respective categories at the UWW World Senior Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, on Tuesday. Four other Indian wrestlers will start their campaign today.
Stay tuned for the latest updates through the day!
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