All of simply 29, there are few issues that Vinesh Phogat has not skilled within the final two years of her life. However even by her requirements of getting to cope with the extraordinary, she finds herself in a land of, frankly, overwhelming firsts. Haryana’s biggest girl wrestler might be within the Paris Olympics 50 kg ladies’s freestyle gold medal match – a privilege earned in her third-ever Olympics. She defeated the consensus 50 kg GOAT Yui Susaki first, then took down European champion Oksana Livach and eventually stuffed Cuban grappler Yusneylis Guzman within the semi-final for a Paris Olympics efficiency worthy of its medal. She was not the favorite, nor was she a bronze hopeful earlier than the draw, however she’s going to depart Paris with a medal that few have deserved as a lot as her.
The achievement have to be put into context contemplating the whirlwind of final yr. Phogat was the face of Indian sports activities large ‘Me Too’ motion the place she and different wrestlers protested at Jantar Mantar towards then BJP MP and WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
On Tuesday, she was a street-fighter on the mat too.
She has been on a dream run in Paris together with her elite defence, the center of the operations. And the way it got here clutch for her on Tuesday towards Cuban veteran Yusneylis Guzman – herself a two-Olympic veteran and a a number of Pan American Video games champion in addition. Barring Ukraine’s Oksana Livach, no wrestler has been capable of land a takedown on the Indian, and even she needed to wait till the dying moments of her match to earn a frenetic one. Each time a knee dropped and an arm reached out, three ladies requested a query to Phogat’s defence on Tuesday, and every was met with a convincing wall. Guzman although, it may very well be stated, continued essentially the most.
Her first try, she truly managed to seize onto Phogat’s thigh. However the Indian first transferred her weight onto Guzman’s again after which simply circled out of hazard, whereas sprawling. It was that simple. She got here again once more, this time not even getting shut as Phogat as soon as once more sprawled and stuffed the try. Her defence can deal with a single-minded lunge to the leg. Guzman was providing no velocity, nor was she forcing the Indian wrestler to assume onerous and multitask. It’s a vital side to beating Phogat’s defence and that degree of wrestling simply by no means materialised because the Cuban takedown disaster continued. Quickly Phogat pocketed a passivity level and would lead the bout as the primary sequence got here to an in depth.
Phogat’s takedown, a factor of magnificence
The second interval started as a lot of the primary went – wonderful management, an pressing, but languishing tempo to the bout, and an opponent that couldn’t fathom the complexities and depths of a Phogat resistance – a well-known model she has been using since final yr.
India’s Vinesh Vinesh celebrates after defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman throughout their ladies’s freestyle 50kg wrestling semifinal match, at Champ-de-Mars Enviornment, in the course of the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP/PTI)spor
Two minutes in and the Indian went for a takedown of her personal. It was a factor of magnificence – one the place she was controlling Guzman’s head and violently pushed it down. The Cuban instinctively tried to get again to her toes from her knees and that prompt, Phogat lunged for Guzman’s proper foot and turned her over. Regardless of circling whereas attempting to defend her indefensible place, Guzman simply couldn’t maintain Phogat off her again, who needed the takedown and wouldn’t take no for a solution. As soon as these two factors had been on the board, Phogat turned her over as soon as and added two extra to make the rating 5-0. A pin seemed prefer it was on the playing cards right here however the 2023 Pan American champion isn’t any simple selecting herself.
From that time on, she tried to go for extra takedowns however an space the place even the veteran she was dealing with had grown, was her leg defence. Regardless of a number of knee accidents, Phogat’s recreation has continued its progress. It got here in clutch when the Cuban desperately seemed for hope and didn’t get her prayer answered.
Phogat faces a well-known foe in Sarah Hildebrandt on Wednesday within the gold medal match. Historical past is looking, and it appears Phogat is all ears.