Wrestling Asian Olympic Qualifiers 2024: Vinesh Phogat secures Paris berth, all set for third straight Olympics

Anshu Malik and Reetika Hooda also secured quotas for India.

Indian wrestling celebrated a memorable day at the Wrestling Asian Olympic Qualifiers 2024 on Saturday as star grappler Vinesh Phogat along with youngsters Anshu Malik and Reetika Hooda secured quotas for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat, the Commonwealth and Asian Games champion bagged her Paris Olympics quota, as she defeated Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy 10-0 in the women’s 50kg semifinals. The Paris Olympics will mark her third Olympic appearance.

Vinesh Phogat’s dominance shone through as she decimated her opponents en route to securing an Olympic quota for Paris 2024 in the women’s 50kg category.

The relentless Indian grappler kicked off her campaign with a clinical victory over Korea’s Miran Cheon, employing her trademark gut-wrench moves to clinch the bout in just 1 minute 39 seconds. Vinesh’s next conquest was even more emphatic, pinning Cambodia’s Smanang Dit in a mere 67 seconds to storm into the semifinals

Soon after, 20-year-old Anshu Malik joined Vinesh by clinching the 57kg quota with an 11-0 demolition of Uzbekistan’s Laylokhon Sobirova. The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist made light work of her opponent to book her second Olympic Games berth. Malik displayed her dominance, clinching both her bouts with technical superiority

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The trio of Olympic quotas was completed when U23 world champion Reetika Hooda defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chang Hui Tz 7-0 in the 76kg semifinals. The 22-year-old Reetika stormed into the gold medal match, becoming the first Indian ever to secure an Olympic quota in this weight category.

Another wrestler in contention Mansi Ahlawat fell short in her quest for an Olympic quota. In a closely contested 62kg semifinal bout, Mansi succumbed to a 0-6 defeat against the reigning Asian Games Champion, North Korea’s Hyon G.Mun 6-0.

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