World Wrestling Championships: Vinesh Phogat qualifies for 2020 Olympics, Pooja Dhanda makes semis

Vinesh Phogat stormed to a commanding 8-2 win over reigning Olympic silver medallist Sarah Hildebrandt to seal an Olympic quota and advance to the bronze medal play-off at ongoing the World Wrestling Championships.

Published : Sep 18, 2019 11:52 IST

Vinesh Phogat will next have to get past Greece's Maria Prevolaraki to get her hands on the bronze medal. (File Image)
Vinesh Phogat will next have to get past Greece's Maria Prevolaraki to get her hands on the bronze medal. (File Image)
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Vinesh Phogat will next have to get past Greece's Maria Prevolaraki to get her hands on the bronze medal. (File Image)

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat stormed to a commanding 8-2 win over reigning Olympic silver medallist Sarah Hildebrandt to seal an Olympic quota and advance to the bronze medal play-off at ongoing the World Wrestling Championships.

Having become the first Indian wrestler to seal her spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Vinesh will now go up against Greece's Maria Prevolaraki for a shot at the bronze medal.

Vinesh had earlier registered a thumping 5-0 win over Yuliya Khalvadzhy in the first round of repechage.

In the 59kg category, Pooja Dhanda soared into the semifinal with a resounding 11-8 win over reigning Asian champion Yuzuka Inagaki. Pooja had earlier secured a 12-2 win over Katsiaryna Hanchar-Yanushkevich in the first round. However, she will not be in the fray for an Olympic quota as the 59kg category is a non-Olympic category.

Seema Bisla, on the other hand, slipped to an 11-3 loss to Ekaterina Poleshchuk in the second round of repechage in the 50kg category. The loss means she misses the Olympic quota and will not be in contention for the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Sarita Mor and Kiran slipped to losses in their qualification bouts. Sarita lost 1-5 to Anastasia Nichita in the 57kg category, while Kiran went down 4-5 to Germany's Aline Rotter-Focken in the 76kg category. Navjot Kaur also slipped to a first round loss in the 65kg category.

However, both Navjot and Kiran remain in contention for repechage, while Sarita is effectively ruled out.

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