Vinesh Phogat has bagged India’s first gold medal in women’s wrestling at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a comprehensive victory over former World Champion Jessica Macdonald of Canada. The other big medal contender in the women’s draw, Sakshi Malik however had to settle for bronze.
Within the first 30 seconds of the bout, Vinesh lifted her opponent onto her back and threw her on the floor. The manoeuvre won the Indian wrestler four points. One more big move by the Indian and she took an 8-0 lead within the first minute and a half of the bout.
At the start of the second half, Vinesh held a 10-3 lead which she eventually carried to a win when she bagged a total of 13 points.
The 10 point gap enough for the judges to stop the fight and award it to Vinesh on technical superiority.
Earlier, Sakshi Malik had to settle for a bronze in the 62 kg Nordic category. Placed fourth in the group, Sakshi fought third placed Tayla Ford for the bronze and emerged victorious with a 6-5 scoreline.
Unlike other draws where competitors advance into quarters and semis with each win, a Nordic category sees each of the wrestlers fight each other in a round robin format. The two wrestlers with the most points advance to the final and the two placed third and fourth then fight for the bronze. A Nordic group is formed when six or less wrestlers are in competition in one category.
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