After consecutive disappointing days for India at the Wrestling World Championship, there is a change in order. Olympian Anshu Malik has created history by becoming the first Indian female wrestler to reach the World Championship finals.
The young grappler dominated against Ukraine’s Solomiia Vynnk to win the match 11-0 by technical superiority. Anshu had an underwhelming Tokyo Olympics but the youngster has shown the right attitude to come back at the Wrestling World Championships.
The 20-year-old grappler was one of India’s most talented participants as most of the Olympians and senior players decided to withdraw from the event. So being an Olympian, there was a lot of pressure on Anshu Malik and she delivered when it mattered the most.
Coming back to her semifinal clash, Anshu was dominant right from the start as she went up 4-0 with a few moves. She showed great aggression on the mat and did not allow her opponent to take even a single point. With every passing minute, she had the stronghold of the game and capitalised on her opponent’s mistakes and eventually won 11-0 by technical superiority.
The win in the semifinals has assured Anshu and India their first medal at the competition. However, the youngster will face Helen Maroulis of the USA in the finals.
It was a great day for Anshu overall as she began with a 15-5 win against Nilufar Raimova of Kazakhstan in the first round. It was followed by a 5-1 win against Davaachimeg Erkhembayar. She kept pushing her boundaries and overcame the challenge of performing on a big stage at such a young age.
Anshu Malik reaching the finals of the World Championship is historic for Indian wrestling as she became the first woman to do so. Four Indian grapplers have won medals at the World Championships, starting with Gita Phogat, Babita Phogat, Pooja Dhanda and Vinesh Phogat. But all of them have bagged Bronze medals, whereas Anshu Malik has already confirmed Silver.
Apart from Anshu, reigning Asian Champion Sarita Mor was another bright light for India. The seasoned wrestler pulled off a brilliant result against former world champion Linda Morais in the pre-quarterfinals. She then came up with a hard-fought 3-1 win against Germany’s Sandra Paruszewski in the quarterfinals. However, her winning streak was cut short as she failed to reach the finals after she suffered a 0-3 defeat to Bilyana Dubova of Bulgaria in the semi-finals. Sarita Mor will be looking to redeem herself by winning the Bronze medal match.
