Vinesh Phogat, looking as dominant as ever, took full advantage of an easy draw to demolish her opponents, putting herself one win away from securing a quota for the Paris Olympics, while Anshu Malik and U23 world champion Reetika also advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek on Saturday. Vinesh, as is her wont, sought the one opportunity to defeat her Korean opponent and seize it after measuring Miran Cheon for about 30 seconds in her first about.
The fight ended quickly, in one minute and 39 seconds, after she grabbed Cheon and pushed her down for a takedown.
It wasn’t easy to get out of Vinesh’s strong grip. The Indian used the gut wrench move three times and combined it with one ‘expose’ to finish the fight.
The next bout lasted only 67 seconds. Cambodia’s Smanang Dit was an easy target. Vinesh pinned her in no time to advance to the women’s 50kg semifinals.
Vinesh competes in the 50kg category after winning the selection trials. Even if she misses the opportunity, she can still compete for a spot in 53kg, where Antim Panghal already has a quota. Antim may be asked to participate in a final trial to demonstrate her worth.
The finalists in this competition will receive quotas for their respective countries.
Anshu Malik, the 2021 World Championship silver medalist, advanced directly to the quarterfinals, and she easily defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Kalmira Bilimbekova due to technical superiority.
U23 world champion Reetika (76kg) easily defeated Eunju Hwang. She won the first round due to technical superiority, as the Korean had no answer for Reetika’s class, and she also defeated Mongolia’s Davaanasan Enkh Amar.
In the final group bout against China’s Juang Wang, Reetika raced ahead 8-0, but the Chinese fought back and scored six straight points. She made another move in the dying moments, but to the relief of the Indian camp, that point was not awarded because it occurred after the stipulated time on the clock.
Mansi Ahlawat (62kg) also advanced to the final four, needing only one win. She defeated Kazakhstan’s Irina Kuznetsova, 6-4.
Nisha Dahiya (68kg) was the only Indian wrestler who failed to qualify for the semifinals.
Nisha had to work hard to win her first match against Sol Gum Pak of North Korea. The Indian raced to a 5-0 lead and held it until the first period, but the Korean countered with a strong performance.
Pak scored right away at the start of the second period with a successful take-down. However, Nisha continued to push Pak out, extending her lead and eventually winning 8-3.
Nisha, who was already exhausted, was outclassed by local favourite Meerim Zhumanazarova in round two, losing badly. After falling behind 1-9, Meerim pinned her. She could barely use any attacking moves and was mostly involved in standing wrestling.
Nisha defeated Kazakhstan’s Yelena Shalygina in the must-win round 3, but with Meerim losing her final group bout, Nisha lacked the necessary points to remain in the top four.
The final chance to win the Paris Games quota will be at World Qualifiers in Turkey beginning May 9.
