Birmingham, Aug 6 (Wrestling News) Putting aside the mental and physical struggles that pegged her back, an intimidating Vinesh Phogat pounced on her rivals to put herself in line for a hat-trick of CWG gold medals while the formidable Ravi Dahiya too cruised into the final, here on Saturday.

In what was expected to be a tough opener against world championship bronze medallist Samantha Leigh Stewart, Vinesh reduced it to a no contest and finished it in mere 36 seconds.

Vinesh had the Canadian in a head lock from where she pushed her on the match and in no time pinned her rival.

Even before people could warm up to the contest, it was all over.

Next up for the 27-year-old Vinesh was Nigeria's Mercy Bolafunoluwa Adekuoroye, who tried to resist a bit but soon the Indian had her in an iron grip. Vinesh kept her in that position for more than a minute in a magnificent show of power.

With only four wrestlers in the women's 53kg draw, Vinesh now needs to beat Sri Lanka's Chamodya Keshani Maduravlage Don to win her third successive gold.

Vinesh has been struggling for form and fitness ever since her defeat at the Tokyo Games, where she made a shock first-round exit after entering the field as the hot favourite for the gold medal.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Kaumar Dahiya was also too good for his field. He won both his bouts -- against Suraj Singh of New Zealand and Pakistan's Asad Ali -- by technical superiority.

He will face Nigeria's Ebikewenimo Welson for his maiden CWG gold.

Also fighting for gold is Naveen (74kg), who began with TSU wins over Nigeria's Ogbonna Emmanuel John, Singapore's Hong Yeow Lou and England's Charlie James Bowling.

He will next fight it out with Pakistan's Tahir Muhammad Sharif.

In women's 50kg, Pooja Sihag made a confident start with a TSU win over Scotland's Christelle Lemofack Letchidjio and then got a walk over from Cameron's Rebecca Ndolo Muambo to make the semifinal stage with ease.

However, she lost the last-four clash 6-9 to Canada's Madison Bianca Parks and will fight for bronze against the Scottish player. Since only six wrestlers featured in this category, it was competed in Nordic style where all wrestlers, divided into two groups, competed once against each other.

In men's freestyle 97kg, Deepak will also fight for bronze. He will clash with Pakistan's Tayab Raza.

India have already won six medals in wrestling, including three gold. 

Also Read : From crisis of confidence to CWG gold, Sakshi Malik turns a corner

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Aug 6 (Wrestling News) If she had not topped the wrestling trials for the Commonwealth Games, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik could not have overcome the 'crisis of confidence' she was experiencing over the last two years.

She also strongly thought about retirement.

The demons in her mind were understandable as she was losing to her juniors in the domestic circuit and had not done much of notice since getting that historic bronze in Rio Olympics six years ago.

The 29-year-old somehow managed to beat Sonam Malik to top the 62kg trials after losing to the youngster a number of times and made the India squad for the Birmingham Games.

That was the moment when Sakshi started to get her confidence back and also paved the way for a gold medal winning performance here on Friday. Making hand written notes of her thoughts after sessions with psychologists also helped immensely.

"My confidence was down for a while. My coaches told me I was the fittest among seniors and juniors and had all the power.

"I used to wonder what was wrong with me. Whether it was bad luck. I won the trials (in May) and from then I started to feel confident about my game," said Sakshi after bouncing back from 0-4 to pin Canada's And Godinez Gonzalez.

She called the gold medal finish her biggest result since the Rio Games.

"I had not won gold in CWG (she had won silver and bronze earlier). I wanted to fight till the end to get that gold. Even when I was 0-4 down, it did not bother me. I had won bouts with seconds left in the Olympics, here I had three minutes left," she said referring to her double leg move that settled the contest.

"I have been wrestling for 18 years, I can do this in my sleep as well. I am so used to it that it comes subconsciously to me." "It's a kind of comeback for me since I had not done anything in last year. Now I feel I am strongest in my weight category. In coming times I will compete in Asian Games and try to win medal," she said.

'Crisis of confidence and how she fought it' ================================== With the medal in the bag, Sakshi has managed to turn it around but in February when Jitender Yadav joined as the women's national coach, she was down in the dumps.

Yadav said self doubt had crept into Sakshi's mind and she pinned all her hopes on the trials.

"She surely had a crisis of confidence. It was psychological and nothing else. She thought she was weak and that brought her confidence down.

"She was not performing even in nationals so there was surely a big crisis. There was also fear of failure." Yadav felt she needed to change her training regime.

"She used to train with heavyweight partners, I switched it to lightweight partners to help her movement.

"She is the most powerful among the lot and most disciplined. Before the trials she said 'if I don't get selected I will pack my bags and go home'.

"It was my responsibility to get her out of that zone. I told her 'you will not go back, you will rather get gold for India'." She did keep the promise. 

Also Read : Priayanka Goswami clinches silver in women's 10,000m race walk

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Aug 5 (Wresting News) Bajrang Punia was a class apart while defending his title before Sakshi Malik produced a sensational gold medal winning effort as Indian wrestlers grabbed five medals, including three gold, at the Commonwealth Games here on Friday.

Deepak Punia (86kg) also contributed in swelling India's medal tally by winning the men's free style gold but birthday girl Anshu Malik (57kg) had to be content with a silver medal in her maiden CWG appearance.

Divya Kakran clinched a bronze in 68kg, winning the medal play-off in just 26 seconds against Tonga's Tiger Lily.

Courtesy three golds, India moved to fifth position in the medal tally ahead of Scotland. Such was Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang's dominance in the 65kg competition that he won three of his four bouts inside first rounds.

The 28-year-old defending champion beat Naurau's Lowe Bingham and Mauritius' Jean Guyliane Joris Bandou 'by fall' before winning by technical superiority against England's Geroge Ramm.

Canada's Lachlan Maurice McNeil fought well against Bajrang but the Indian was far superior in technique and stamina as he won the bout 9-2.

Bajrang has been struggling to play freely since last year and his over defensive tactics put a question-mark over his ability to extend his dominance in international arena but on Friday he made his moves without inhibition.

However, the CWG is not the best platform to judge if Bajrang has got his mojo back because of the inferior field quality.

Sakshi reverses trend, wins after trailing ========================= For Sakshi, who has been battling for relevance for long, it was an ideal opportunity to get some confidence back and she used it to optimum level in the 62kg contest by winning her maiden CWG gold.

She began by pinning home team wrestler Kelsey Barnes and followed that with a technical superiority win against Cameroon's Berthe Emilienne.

In the final against Ana Paula Godinez Gonzalez, Sakshi trailed 0-4 after the Canadian scored on counter-attack. Sakshi's right leg attack got wrong as she lost position, allowing her rival to complete a take down move.

The U-23 World champion effected another take down to go into the break with a 4-0 lead.

Sakshi, who of late, has been seen succumbing to pressure reversed the trend this time as she initiated a right leg attack to throw the Canadian on the mat.

From there she used power to pin Gonzalez, turning the table on her rival in a sensational manner. She had won a bronze in 2018 in Gold Coast and a silver in 2014 Glasgow Games.

Deepak Punia grabs gold for loss of just one point ============================= Deepak Punia (86kg) was calculative in his bouts and finished on top of the podium without losing a single point.

The wrestler from Chhara village began with technical superiority win over Matthew Clay Oxenham from New Zealand and beat Canada's Alexander Moore 3-1, setting up the gold medal bout against Pakistan's Muhammad Inam.

The 23-year-old Indian had better stamina and outlasted Inam 3-0. His first point was from a push out while the second came on passivity of the Pakistani.

There were no big moves in the bout as Inam had lost steam by the second round. Deepak completed his win with another push out point.

Anshu gets silver on birthday ================== Anshu, who has taken rapid strides in her career, reached the women's 57kg final with similar dominance but ended up second-best with a silver medal.

The Nidani wrestler, who turned 21 on Friday, won by technical superiority against Australia's Irene Symeonidis and Sri Lanka's Nethmi Ahinsa Fernando Poruthotage.

It did not take Anshu much time to measure her opponents. Her trademark aggression and quality was too hot to handle for her rivals till the gold medal bout.

The World Championship silver medallist though could not breach the defence of Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, losing the gold bout 3-7. The Nigerian was strong with her defence and Anshu could not find a way to make her moves.

She left mat with tears in her eyes as it was not the birthday present she wanted to give herself.

Divya Kakran takes bronze ================= Divya had got a tough 68kg draw as she found Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and 11-time African champion Blessing Oborududu from Nigeria in her campaign-opener.

The first round was worth a final though but Divya was outplayed by the formidable Nigerian. The Asian Games bronze medallist won her repechage round against Blandine Nyeh Ngiri by fall.

Also fighting for bronze will be Mohit Grewal (125kg), who won against Cyprus' Alexios Kaouslidis 10-1 but lost in the semifinal to Canada's Amarveer Dhesi by technical superiority.

He is up against Jamaica's Aaron Anthony Johnson. 

Also Read : Bajrang moves to quarterfinals with dominating 'by fall' win over Bingham

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Aug 5 (Wrestling News) Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia needed less than two minutes to move to the 65kg quarterfinals at the Commonwealth Games as he pinned Naurau's Lowe Bingham in his opening bout, here on Friday.

Bajrang, who has entered the field as the defending champion, measured his rival for about a minute and then put him on the mat from a lock position to finish the bout in a jiffy.

Bingham had no clue what struck him as the wrestler from the island nation was at sea.

Next up for Bajrang, the Olympic bronze medallist, is Jean Guyliane Joris Bandou of Mauritius.

Other Indian wrestlers taking the mat on Friday in the men's freestyle competition are Deepak Punia (86kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg).

In the women's event, Anshu Malik (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg) and Divya Kakran (68kg) will present India's challenge. 

Also Read : CWG: Rejuvenated Jeremy wants gold at “biggest competition” since Youth Olympics

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jul 25 (Wrestling News) Missing out on the Tokyo Olympics last year made him realise that the transition from junior to senior level is not easy, says Youth Olympic champion weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga as he aims to clinch the coveted gold at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

After a torrid year that saw him suffer two injuries and contract the dreaded COVID-19 virus, Jeremy is all rejuvenated and prepared to do what it takes to succeed at the senior level, starting with the multi-sport event at Birmingham.

“It’s my first CWG and I’m feeling great. After the Youth Olympics this is going to be the biggest competition for me after four years as I had missed out on the Olympics,” Jeremy, who competes in the 67kg category, told PTI.

Jeremy had burst into the scene in 2018 when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

The Mizoram lifter was touted as one for the future in the sport but while he managed to shatter youth world records, Jeremy’s performance a the senior level has left a lot to be desired.

"I understood that I have to work much harder because the total that I was lifting was not good enough. It also made me realise how tough Olympics is from junior to senior.” The past one year has been a tough one for the 19-year-old. At the Asian Championships he finished a disappointing eight.

It was later revealed that he had some problem in his knee, which also affected his performance at the junior World Championships.

“There was a problem in my tendon in my knee. Water filled up behind my knee. I had to undergo surgery for that.” His below-par Asian Championship outing also cost him a place in the Olympic Games. His wretched luck continued as a a couple of weeks before the World Championships, he developed severe back ache. However, he managed to finish fourth.

“There was a problem near my spine, upper back but then also I competed at the world championships.” To make matters worse, the teenager contracted COVID-19 at the fag end of last year.

“I got COVID-19 on December 31. I had throat pain and fever. After that my body weight came down to 63-62kg, it was a difficult time.

“I struggled to recover. I was in quarantine alone for 15 days,” said the jovial lifter.

The time away from training helped him reset, reflect on his training and assess his goals.

“I got time to think and now I want to do well at the CWG. I will definitely look attempt to go beyond my personal best.” Talha Talib was to be Jeremy’s biggest competitor for the CWG title but the Paksitani lifter will miss the CWG as he faces doping sanctions.

“Yes, it’s good for me. But it is unfortunate that he was involved in doping. I feel sad for him, his four years are gone now. He shoudn't have done it.” 

Also Read : Weak CWG field is perfect opportunity for Vinesh and Sakshi to regain lost touch

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jul 20 (Wrestling News) The relatively weaker field at the Commonwealth Games will be an ideal opportunity for a struggling Vinesh Phogat to regain her confidence while a desperate Sakshi Malik would search for relevance, even as most Indian wrestlers are expected to pierce through the draws.

The CWG will be important not only for Vinesh and Sakshi but also for Bajrang Punia, who has been a bit iffy about his attacking prowess since suffering a mind-unsettling and doubt-creating knee injury ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

He recently underwent a few medical tests, and the results restored his confidence that his body is not in danger of breaking down, if pushed. He can afford to go all out at the CWG, where wrestling powerhouses like Iran, Russia, Japan and Kazakhstan do not compete.

Only Canadian and Nigerian wrestlers can put up some serious challenge before the Indians, who have been dominating this quadrennial event for years now.

The 28-year-old Bajrang would like to get that element of attack back in his game. His biggest strength has always been his immense stamina. He keeps a lot in his tank and has literally ruled the latter half of the bouts with his enviable endurance. Vinesh was one of the most dominant forces in the wrestling world before the Tokyo Games and her fortunes have only nosedived since her shock medal-less exit from the Japanese capital.

Much to the surprise and disappointment of keen observers of the sport, Vinesh, of late, is even struggling to go past her compatriots. This was something unthinkable before the Tokyo Olympics, where she had gone as one of the hot favourites for a medal.

Her struggles with the mental side of the game and the run-ins with the establishment after the Tokyo Games took a toll and made it a complex and tough journey back to normalcy.

The CWG can be the platform which gives Vinesh her confidence and rhythm back. A good result will certainly boost her morale and give the belief that she can still be the force that her rivals across the globe were always wary of.

Not much time is left for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and sooner Vinesh starts to believe in her ability, the better for her.

Similarly, the CWG will be crucial for Sakshi, whose struggles seemed to be never-ending until she found her lost confidence back after sessions with a psychologist. She finally managed to beat Sonam Malik in the CWG trials in the semifinals after losing four straight bouts to the young wrestler.

She also beat Manisha in the final to claim the 62kg berth, having lost to the same wrestler for the Asian Championship trials.

Sakshi is not just defending anymore. She is looking to dominate, score points, and finish her bouts quickly, and these are good signs.

The 29-year-old has not got any major results since her Rio Olympic bronze medal wining feat and by grabbing a medal at a multi-discipline sporting event like the CWG, she can make a comeback.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg) is such a class wrestler that at the CWG level, he can win with even one leg and one arm. He would not need his 'A' game to defeat wrestlers from nations that are not traditionally strong in this sport.

It should not be a tough task for Deepak Punia (86kg) too, but he needs to take care of his body as he has been pulling out of competitions very often due to injuries.

For Naveen (74kg), Deepak (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg) also, it is a good opportunity to get a big-event medal.

In the women's event, Anshu Malik too has been dealing with a few niggles, but she is so talented that it will be a surprise if she does not return with a gold medal. Ever since she started competing on the senior circuit, Anshu's transition has been remarkable.

Her technique, power and most importantly, the self belief has been key to her quick success. There is no doubt that she is the one for the future.

A world championship silver medal last year raised her stature in Indian wrestling immensely.

Divya Kakran (68kg) is another wrestler who is expected to dominate the field at the CWG while Pooja Gehlot (50kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg) will be contenders in their respective weight categories.

For the record, India had finished at the top in the wrestling tally with 12 medals, including 5 gold, in the 2018 edition in Gold Coast. In 2014, the team finished second behind Canada.

In 2010, the team won 19 medals to claim the top spot.

Indian Squad: Men's Freestyle: Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Naveen (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg).

Women's team: Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg) Anshu Malik (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Divya Kakran (68kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg).

Wrestling events to start from August 5. 

Also Read : Bajrang Punia obtains UK visa, will travel to US for training ahead of CWG

News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Jul 9 (Wrestling News) Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has received his UK visa for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will allow him leave for the United States for a training stint there ahead of the Birmingham CWG, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Saturday.

Since, he will go for the CWG directly from his training base in the United States, it would have been difficult for Bajrang to complete the UK visa formalities later. Now that he has got his UK visa, Bajrang can train in the US without any anxiety.

The 28-year-old Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist was supposed to travel to the Michigan University in the US last month for training ahead of the Birmingham CWG but was forced to stay back in India due to a delay in getting his UK visa.

"The Sports Ministry, through the Ministry of External Affairs, got in touch with the British High Commission to seek the UK Visa for Bajrang, which has now been obtained," a SAI media release said.

The CWG will be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.

On several occasions, the MEA has helped the Sports Ministry in obtaining visa of athletes travelling abroad for competition and training ahead of the CWG.

Bajrang, who won gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and fellow wrestler Deepak Punia will now leave for US this weekend from India. They will train at the Michigan University until July 30, following which both will leave for Birmingham.

The Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) has facilitated the exposure trip. The training stint in the USA will be helpful for the preparation of the CWG and other upcoming major competitions like the Wrestling World Championship, scheduled in September in Belgrade.

A total of 111 foreign exposures in various sports have been funded by the Sports Ministry after Tokyo Olympics in the lead up to CWG. 

Also Read : Never informed about dissolution of Maha wrestling association headed by me: Pawar

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Jul 2 (Wrestling News) NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said he was never informed or intimated about the dissolution of the Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA) headed by him.

Pawar said he is concerned about the future of some wrestlers who have been receiving financial assistance from the MSWA. “I head the MSWA but I was never informed or intimated by the national body that it would dissolve the association. Now, I am concerned about the future of some wrestlers who are receiving financial assistance from the association for their training and treatment,” Pawar told reporters in Pune.

Pawar said when he came to know about that the National Wrestling Association's decision to dissolve the state body and enquired at the national level, he was told that there were some complaints against the MSWA.

“The state body's failure to conduct some tournaments in the state was cited as another reason to take such a strong step. I do not think there is any politics in it. I believe that sports should be kept out of politics,” he said.

Pawar said he will speak to MSWA deputy chairman and Wardha BJP MP Ramdas Tadas and they will raise the issue with the national body. 

Also Read : Deepak Punia wins bronze at U23 Asian Wrestling Championships

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jun 27 (Wrestling News) World championships silver medallist Deepak Punia has secured a bronze medal beating Kazakhstan's Maksat Satybaldy in 86kg freestyle at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The 23-year-old from Haryana, who had participated at the Tokyo Olympics last year, lost to Azizbek Fayzullaev of Uzbekistan 3-7 and Nurtilek Karypbaev of Kyrgyzstan 2-3 in the first two rounds on Sunday.

However, Punia managed to get the better of Satybaldy of Kazakhstan 9-8 to bag the bronze medal.

Punia is part of the Birmingham-bound Commonwealth Games Indian wrestling team. 

Also Read : Will compete in both Asian Games and World Championships if enough gap between two: Bajrang

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jun 25 (Wrestling News) Elite Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia on Saturday said he would compete in both, the postponed Asian Games and the World Championships next year, if there is a gap of at least one month between the two competitions.

The 2022 Asian Games were postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases in China and the organisers are yet to announce new dates for the prestigious Continental event.

The World Championship, set to be held in Russia in September 2023, will be an Olympic qualifying event.

"The 2023 is an important year. The focus is on qualifying for the Paris Games through the World Championships. We don't know as yet what is going to be the gap between Asian Games and the Worlds.

"But if we have one or one-and-a-half-month cushion between the two, I would compete in both," Bajrang said during a virtual interaction, facilitated by SAI.

The 28-year-old Bajrang, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics Games, finds no merit in harping and fretting over past mistakes. Instead he would learn from them and move forward with better goals -- an Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.

"I was injured and was in rehab for about 8 months after Olympics. Olympics is the most important event for any athlete. That was a setback but still I won a bronze. 65 is toughest category in world.

"I have not changed a bit after winning an Olympic medal. The endeavour would be to do better in 2024. I have been training again. In the last four Olympics, India have got medals through wrestling. Bronze and silver are there but not gold. That's the target for Paris Games.

"We have to forget mistakes, learn from them and move forward. Victory and defeats are part of an athlete's life, we have to accept both," he said.

Bajrang is set to leave for USA on Sunday for a training-stint ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The multiple-time world medallist said he gets better sparring partner when he trains outside.

"I will be training at the Michigan University. Many top wrestlers train there. Like, I will be training with the world number one in 70kg (Ernazar Akmataliev, Kyrgyzstan). The 86kg Olympic medallist will also be there. That's why I prefer to train there." "Also, we are saved from usual distractions when we train in India. No one disturbs us abroad." He asserted that no wrestler, from any nation, tries to injure others deliberately during these training stints.

"We may be fierce competitors on the mat but off-mat we are all friends. There is no such fear in my mind that I will get injured, never thought like that. I have trained in Russia, Europe, USA and Asian nations but nothing like that has ever happened," he assured.

The Commonwealth Games, considering the low competition level, will be a test event for Bajrang, who though does not want to take things lightly.

"Remember I had finished second there in 2014," he said. 

Also Read : Indian freestyle wrestlers claim Asian team title in U-17 category

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jun 22 (Wrestling News) Indian freestyle wrestlers won the team title at the under-17 Asian Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan by finishing with eight medals, including four gold.

Apart from the four gold, the Indians also bagged two silver and two bronze medals.

The Indians clinched three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in freestyle on Wednesday.

The Indian freestyle team won the Asian Championships trophy with 188 points, while Kazakhstan finished runner-up with 150 points. Uzbekistan took the third spot with 145 points.

The Indian gold winners on Wednesday were Ningappa (45kg), Shubham (48kg) and Vaibhav Patil (55kg), while Pratik Deshmukh (110kg) bagged the silver and Narsingh Patil (51kg) and Sourabh (60kg) clinched a bronze each.

The competition in Under-23 category will start on Thursday with Greco Roman style events. 

Also Read : Indian women wrestlers win 4 gold, 1 bronze at Asian U-17 Wrestling Championship

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jun 20 (Wrestling News) The Indian cadet women wrestlers clinched four gold and a bronze at the under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Mushkan (40kg), Shruti (46kg), Reena (53kg) and Savita (61kg) won the gold medal, while Mansi Bhadana (69 kg) secured a bronze medal at the competition.

In Greco Roman, Ronit Sharma (48 kg) claimed the yellow metal, while Pradeep Singh (110 kg) and Mohit Khokar (80 kg) bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The remaining bouts in five weight categories of women wrestling and three weight categories of free style will be held on Tuesday.

The tournament will conclude on June 26. 

Also Read : Bajrang claims bronze in Almaty, maiden international gold at senior level for Aman

News Source : PTI

Almaty, Jun 5 (Wrestling News) Bajrang Punia got his act together to claim a bronze medal after ultra-defensive tactics resulted in his opening-round defeat even as Aman claimed his first gold medal at the senior level with a commanding show in the 57kg competition at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup, here Sunday.

Bajrang, the Tokyo Games bronze winner, struggled in his opening bout against Uzbekistan's Abbos Rakhmonov, losing 3-5 but competed much better in the bronze-play off where he played smartly to score on counter-attacks against Kazkahstan's Rifat Saibotalov, winning 7-0.

Bajrang foiled a right leg attack from Saibotalov and then scored two points on counter attack after his rival went for his right leg.

The 28-year-old converted a left-leg attack into points and foiled another valiant effort from the home-favourite.

Bajrang was quick with his movements that was key in his mix of defence and attack in the crucial bout.

Earlier, the overtly defensive tactics that Bajrang has been adopting, of late, continued against Rakhmonov and paid the price.

Bajrang got the first two points when his rival was cautioned twice for foul play. He hardly made a move but the Uzbekistan wrestler converted a left-leg attack into a take-down move for two points to level the score.

The celebrated wrestler later got one more point on the passivity of Rakhmonov and was leading but dropped guard when only six seconds were left in the bout.

It seemed Bajrang took it easy, thinking the referee has whistled to halt the action but Rakhmonov grabbed the opportunity to launch a leg attack and eventually got decisive two points.

Later Rakhmonov reached final, giving opportunity to fight for bronze.

In the 57kg, Aman, who trains at Chhatrasal stadium with Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya, was very impressive.

He began with a 15-12 win over Meirambek Kartbay in the high-scoring opening bout and followed that with a technical superiority win over Abdymalik Karachov from Kyrgyzstan.

In his final bout, he edged out Kazakhstan's Merey Bazarbayev 10-9 to stay unbeaten in the five-wrestler category to claim gold.

It is Aman's third medal this season, having won a silver at Dan Kolov and a bronze at Yasar Dogu.

Meanwhile, Vishal Kaliramana (70kg) and Naveen (74kg) missed out podium finishes after losing bronze medal rounds.

Gourav Baliyan (79kg) could not make the medal round while Deepak Punia forfeited all his bouts due to injury in 92kg category, where Viky lost both his bouts.

India thus signed off with 12 medals from the Ranking Series event with the women's wrestlers claiming eight of them, including give gold. 

Also Read : Dominant Sarita wins first gold of 2022 season, maiden senior level gold for Manisha

News Source : PTI

Almaty, Jun 4 (Wrestling News) World and Asian Championship bronze medallist Sarita Mor grabbed her first gold medal of the 2022 season and conceded just two points enroute the 59kg title at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup, a UWW Ranking Series event, here on Saturday.

Sarita took mat for three bouts and won all, including the final against Zhala Aliyeva from Azerbaijan, by technical superiority.

The gulf in class between Sarita, who won her maiden World medal last year and her opponents was huge as none could compete for full six minutes against her.

The Indian wrestler was quick to measure her rivals and once she got hold of them, she finished the bouts with a flurry of moves.

"I would agree that the level of competition was a notch below when compared to the Asian Championship. But I had seen the entries in both 57 and 59 kg category and since there was better competition in 59 kg, I competed in this category," Sarita told PTI.

"The target is to qualify for Paris Olympics and my focus would be on that. These victories give confidence," she added.

Also winning a gold was Manisha, who grabbed the title in 65kg with a commanding 8-0 win over Azerbaijan's Elis Manolova in the final.

It is first international gold for Manisha on the senior circuit, having won a bronze at the Asian Championship in April this year.

However Bipasha settled for a silver in 72kg after losing a crucial bout 5-7 to home favourite Zhamila Bakbergenova. It is Bipasha's first medal at the senior level as she has been competing in the junior events till now.

Sushma Shaukeen was also impressive as she took home the 55kg bronze by pinning Kazakhstan's Ainur Ashimova in under two minutes in the play-off.

In the men's free style, Mohit won the 125kg bronze with a convincing 8-2 win over Sardorbek Kholmatov, taking India's tally to 10 medals in the tournament.

Mansi (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Divya Kakran (68kg) had won gold on Friday while Pooja Sihag (76kg) had grabbed a bronze.

Greco Roman wrestler Neeraj had clinched a bronze in 63kg category on Thursday. 

Also Read : Fearless Sakshi grabs first international gold in almost 5 years, Mansi and Divya win yellow metal in Almaty

News Sourc : PTI

Almaty, Jun 3 (PTI) Sakshi Malik's struggles were nowhere to be seen as a fearless and aggressive Rio Olympics bronze medallist grabbed her first international gold medal in almost five years at the UWW Ranking Series event here on Friday.

India's Mansi and Divya Kakran too earned top of the podium finishes.

But the day belonged to Sakshi, who has been struggling till the recent CWG trials.

She was consistently losing to young Sonam Malik in the 62kg category and even missed qualification for the Tokyo Games but looked completely transformed on Friday as she fought her bouts with tremendous confidence.

She began with a win by technical superiority against Kazakhstan's Irina Kuznetsova and followed that up with another big 9-3 win over Uzbekistan's Rushana Abdirasulova.

As Mongolia's Tserenchimed Sukhee forfeited her semifinal, Sakshi entered the final, where she pinned Kuznetsova while leading 7-4, beating the home wrestler for a second time in the day.

Sakshi stood out with her double leg attacks and agility, hardly giving breathing pace to her opponents. Even when her rival won a challenge to take 5-3 lead, Sakshi was not perturbed and won in an emphatic fashion.

The last time she won a gold was in 2017 Commonwealth Championship even as she won two bronze medals at the Asian Championships in 2020 and 2022.

Also winning the gold was Mansi (57kg), who won her final bout 3-0 against Kazakshtan's Emma Tissina, who hardly made a move. Mansi got push out points as mostly the two wresters were involved in standing wrestling.

Divya won two of her bouts by 'fall' -- against Mongolia's Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan and Kazakhstan's Albina Kairgeldinova -- but lost the final bout 10-14 to Mongolia's Bolortungalag Zorigt in the four-wrestler 68kg category.

Zorigt also finished with two wins and a defeat (against Delgermaa) but since Divya had more convincing results, she was declared winner.

India now have won four medals with Greco Roman wrestler Neeraj winning a bronze in 63kg category on Thursday. PTI AT AT KHS KHS