Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat beat Sweden's Sofia Mattsson 7-1 in the Women's freestyle 53kg round-of-16 on Thursday to reach the quarters at the Tokyo Olympics. She will face Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus next.
Vinesh was leading 5-0 at the first break, turning defence into attack against her Swedish opponent. She conceded a solitary point before cruising into the next round.
Vinesh, a feisty fighter, charted her course, breaking away from the glory associated with her surname primarily earned by her famous cousin sisters, Geeta and Babita.
Vinesh showed her promise early at the junior level and made rapid progress to claim her maiden National title in 2012. She carried on her success story to win medals at the Asian championships in 2013.
Her gold medal in the Commonwealth Games and bronze in the Asian Games in 2014 made her a strong candidate for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The talented wrestler had to bid adieu to Rio in pain and tears as she twisted her knee during a fight. However, the strong-willed Vinesh fought back to assert her class and again won medals in elite events.
Vinesh raised her profile by becoming the first woman wrestler to win gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
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