India’s Vinesh Phogat made a roaring start at the Paris Olympics 2024, defeating reigning world champion and Olympic gold medallist Yui Susaki of Japan in the Round of 16 and then Ukraine’s Oksana Livach to enter the semifinal of the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling. Vinesh handed Susaki the first loss of her international career, stunning the No. 1 seed in the final five seconds to take the contest 3-2. Growing in confidence from arguably the biggest win of her career, Vinesh, barely 45 minutes later, built on it and defeated Livach 7-5 in a much-more evenly-contested bout.
Vinesh stands one win away from assuring a medal, which if achieved, will make her the first Indian female wrestler to win a silver or gold in wrestling at the Olympics, bettering Sakshi Malik’s bronze medal finish at Rio Olympics 2016. However, if Vinesh stumbles in the semis clash, she can still fight for bronze, taking on the winner of the repechage round.
Vinesh entered the arena donning the blue. The bout began with both wrestlers locked in a stalemate, neither making any significant moves in the first 30 seconds. Susaki attempted to grab Vinesh’s right hand, but Vinesh masterfully evaded the attempt. However, with 90 seconds left on the clock, Vinesh was placed on the passivity clock, facing a potential penalty if she did not execute an attacking move within the next 30 seconds.
Failing to make an aggressive move, Vinesh conceded a point to Susaki. Shortly after, Susaki aimed for a takedown by targeting Vinesh’s right leg, which had been operated on the previous year. Despite this, Vinesh countered effectively, and the opening period ended with Susaki leading 1-0.
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The second period mirrored the first, with both wrestlers remaining locked arm-in-arm for the first minute. Susaki, a formidable opponent who has only lost three matches in her career, struggled to find any openings. Vinesh was once again placed on the passivity clock and conceded another point, giving Susaki a 2-0 lead with just over a minute remaining.
In a dramatic turn of events though, Vinesh secured a takedown with less than five seconds left on the clock, overturning the score to win the match. Susaki challenged the call, but the challenge was unsuccessful. Susaki, who had only lost three bouts since 2015, saw her defeat tally rise to four with this stunning loss as Vinesh became the 1 in Sasaki’s imperious record of 82-1.
Oksana beaten
In the opening minutes of the semi-final, the colour of her gear changing to red, Vinesh voiced concerns about Livach’s allegedly greasy arms, which made grappling difficult. A minute into the bout, Vinesh struck first, executing a fine hold and slamming Oksana onto the mat to score a two-pointer. With 30 seconds left in the first period, Oksana was warned for passivity but was not put on the clock. Vinesh dominated the opening three minutes, leading 2-0. In the second period, Vinesh continued her momentum by locking in on Oksana’s legs and scoring another takedown for two points. Although she was in a strong position to roll Oksana over and extend her lead, the Ukrainian managed to hold on.
Oksana retaliated with a leg lock, securing a takedown for two points, but Vinesh quickly responded with a reversal, reclaiming one point with less than 60 seconds remaining. Vinesh then trapped Oksana in an impressive arm-bar but couldn’t convert it into points. Oksana pushed Vinesh out of bounds, earning one point, narrowing the score to 5-3 in favour of Vinesh with 48 seconds to go.
Vinesh requested a challenge from her coach, Woller, giving her a brief respite. However, the challenge was unsuccessful, and Oksana gained another point, bringing the score to 5-4. In a thrilling finish, Vinesh scored four points within 20 seconds, securing her victory and progressing to the semifinals with a final score of 7-5.