Vinesh Phogat made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, defeating Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba 5-0 in the women’s freestyle 50kg semi-final. Before today, her opponent had an international record of 82-0. Now it’s 82-1.
With today’s semifinal victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Phogat has ensured at least a silver medal but will be vying for gold in the final.
Vinesh Phogat 👉 the 1st 🇮🇳 female wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics! 🤼♀️
Take a bow! 💥#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/vExNIWgWps
— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) August 6, 2024
She will take on either Otgonjargal Dolgorjav or Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the final on the 7th of August.
Earlier, Phogat overcame Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarterfinals and delivered the biggest upset of the games by defeating Japan’s four-time world champion and current gold medalist Yui Susaki on points to advance to the semifinals.
Despite being down 0-2 due to penalty points for passivity, the Indian wrestler staged an impressive comeback in the final five seconds, securing three points to topple the top seed with a 3-2 victory.
Previously, Vinesh had not secured a medal in her two Olympic participations.
