Tokyo: Vinesh Phogat, India's medal hope in women's wrestling at Tokyo Olympics, lost her quarter-final bout against two-time world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya by fall, here on Thursday.
Now Phogat’s Olympic hopes rests on repechage. The repechage rule allows wrestlers who have lost early in the competition a second chance, should their victor make it to the final.
Though Phogat made a cautious start at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba, Kaladzinskaya was the first to strike, with a two-pointer and proceeded to extend it into a 5-2 lead heading into the second period.
Vinesh Phogat went on the offensive early in the second period, but some tenacious defending by the Belarusian seemed to have fended the Indian off and made the score 7-2 in Kaladzinskaya’s favour. However, a successful review from Vinesh’s camp saw the score reverted to 5-3.
Vinesh, though, couldn’t hold onto the lifeline as Vanesa Kaladzinskaya scored two more points and finished off the match with a victory by fall by pinning Vinesh to the mat.
Anshu Malik bowed out of the Tokyo Olympics after losing 5-1 to Rio 2016 silver medallist Valeria Koblova of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the repechage round of the women’s 57kg category on Thursday.