Antim Panghal clinches bronze in gritty present, a troublesome day for Indian wrestlers at Asian Games
In a day full of ups and downs for Indian wrestlers on the Asian Games in Hangzhou, teenage sensation Antim Panghal emerged because the shining star by securing a bronze medal. Panghal achieved this feat by defeating Tokyo Olympics medalist Bolortuya Bat-Ochir with a rating of 3- 1. Her exceptional efficiency salvaged a day that noticed different Indian wrestlers going through powerful challenges.
The 19-year-old Panghal displayed exceptional resilience, bouncing again after a quarterfinal loss to two-time Japanese world champion Akari Fujinami. In the women’s 53kg bronze playoff, she managed to thwart the Mongolian wrestler’s assaults successfully, securing the very important win, Panghal’s bronze medal got here as a much-needed enhance for the Indian contingent, particularly after Narinder Cheema (Greco-Roman 97kg), Naveen (Greco-Roman 130kg), and Pooja Gehlot (women’s 50kg) confronted early exits.
Pooja Gehlot had a difficult bout in the bronze medal match, the place she was defeated 2-9 by Aktenge Keunimjaeva, the Asian championship bronze medalist, Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 57kg) additionally had excessive expectations, however she misplaced her bronze playoff match ‘by fall’ to Uzbekistan’s Laylokhon Sobirova, who secured victory in simply 70 seconds.
Antim Panghal’s journey to the Asian Games was marked by her wonderful type, having beforehand gained a bronze medal on the world championships. Her bronze on the Asian Games marks solely the second wrestling medal for India in this version of the competitors. She took management of the match by establishing a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on the passivity of her Mongolian opponent and executing a superb counter-attack.
Despite going through robust challenges, Antim efficiently defended in opposition to Bolortuya’s single-leg assaults, securing her well-deserved victory. Her inclusion in the Indian contingent got here after Vinesh Phogat withdrew attributable to harm, with Antim initially difficult her compatriot to a trial bout. However, Vinesh later needed to bear knee surgical procedure, offering Antim with a possibility to compete.
In earlier matches, Antim Panghal secured a simple 11-0 victory in opposition to Uzbekistan’s Jasmina Immaeva, setting the stage for her quarterfinal showdown in opposition to the Japanese world champion
In different bouts, Narinder Cheema narrowly misplaced his quarterfinal with a rating of 1-3 in opposition to Korea’s Lee Seyeol, whereas Mansi Ahlawat confronted a troublesome problem in her last-eight spherical, shedding 2-5 to Japan’s Sakurai Tsugumi Greco-Roman wrestler Naveen additionally skilled disappointment, falling brief in his quarterfinal contest with a rating of 0-3 in opposition to Chinese opponent Meng Lingzhe. The subsequent day guarantees extra motion with Bajrang Punia (65kg) and the immensely proficient Aman Sehrawat (56kg) taking the stage in their respective classes.
