India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phogat was on cusp of historical past within the girls’s freestyle 50kg class at Paris Olympics 2024, after two giant-killing victories within the Round of 16 and quarter-final. Vinesh beat two titans of 50kg wrestling: Japan’s Yui Susaki and Ukraine’s Oksana Livach. In the semi-final, she beat Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez. However, earlier than her ultimate bout, Vinesh Phogat, the 29-year-old was disqualified from the ladies’s 50kg free-style ultimate for being 100gm chubby on the time of weigh-in. Vinesh, who was making her third Olympic look right here, introduced her retirement from the game a day after her disqualification, saying that she does not have the power to proceed.
The world championships bronze-medallist had resorted to determined measures to save lots of herself from disqualification, together with reducing her hair, going with out meals and water, and understanding a complete evening.
She finally wanted IV fluids resulting from excessive dehydration and her plight evoked sympathy throughout the board.
Let’s take a deep-dive about Vinesh’s two opponents, to get a greater grasp of how sensible her wins had been.
Yui Susaki
Susaki is just not solely the no. 1-ranked wrestler, she can also be the reigning Olympic gold medalist within the class. What’s much more loopy is that she had received the gold in Tokyo 2020 with out giving up a single level to her opponent.
Before her match in opposition to Vinesh, Susaki had by no means misplaced a global wrestling match, boasting a mind-boggling report of 82-0. She can also be a four-time gold medalist on the Wrestling World Championships. Open her Wikipedia web page, and you will not spot a single tinge of silver or bronze; it is all gold. Susaki was the overwhelming favorite to retain her Olympic gold, however misplaced 3-2 in a decent contest in opposition to Vinesh.
Oksana Livach
After the monumental victory over Susaki, Vinesh Phogat rode on the momentum to beat eighth seed Oksana Livach from Ukraine within the quarter-final. Livach is a former World Championships bronze medalist (2018), and narrowly misplaced out on bronze within the 2024 European Wrestling Championships.
Much like Vinesh, Livach entered the quarter-final with nice momentum, having received her Round of 16 match 10-0. However, Vinesh overpowered her opponent but once more, to seal her spot within the semi-final of the ladies’s 50kg freestyle occasion at Paris 2024.
Yusneylis Guzman Lopez
Guzman misplaced to Vinesh Phogat in semifinal however nonetheless returned residence with the silver medal as she was promoted to the ultimate after Vinesh’s disqualification. She misplaced to Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA within the ultimate. Guzman is a gold medallist on the Pan American Games and the Pan American Wrestling Championships.
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Vinesh Phogat will play her semi-final match in opposition to Cuban wrestler Yusneylys Guzman, the reigning 50kg gold medalist within the Pan American Games, on Tuesday, August 6, at 10:15 PM IST tentatively.
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