Antim Panghal shocked reigning champion Olivia Dominique Parrish en path to the World Championship semifinals, however the younger grappler’s giant-killing run was halted within the last-four stage, leaving her combating for a bronze medal and a Paris Olympic quota place on Wednesday. Panghal, the 53kg grappler, misplaced the semifinal bout to world No.23 Vanesa Kaladzinskaya — a Belarusian competing as a impartial athlete — on technical factors 5-4. However the Indian can nonetheless earn an Olympic quota if she wins the bronze-medal match or emerges triumphant within the bout between the losers of the bronze-medal contest. Underlining her progress and a clean transition from the junior to senior circuit, the two-time U20 champion gained the primary three bouts of the day to enter the semifinal whilst different Indian contenders bit the mud of their respective classes.
The 2-time U20 champion Panghal slipped to a 0-2 deficit at the beginning of the bout in opposition to USA’s Parrish however edged her rival 3-2 within the opening spherical.
She later outplayed Poland’s Roksana Marta Zasina by technical superiority and adopted it up with a 9-6 win over Russian Natalia Malysheva, who’s competing as a impartial athlete.
Earlier, American Parrish swung into motion with a fast take-down transfer from a right-leg assault. Unperturbed, the 19-year-old Indian started to defend nicely and foiled two comparable makes an attempt, not conceding any extra factors until the tip of first interval.
Together with her sturdy protection persevering with, Panghal didn’t let Parrish make any attacking transfer and consequently the American was placed on clock.
Panghal bought maintain of the American’s left leg and transformed that right into a profitable take-down transfer to attract parity. She tried to get a leg lace however couldn’t pull off the transfer.
The American misplaced some extent on passivity. Standing wrestling adopted and Panghal defended her slender result in stroll out a winner.
She wanted just one minute and 38 seconds to outplay Zasina in her subsequent bout, beating the Poland wrestler by technical superiority to maneuver into the quarterfinals.
After two take-down strikes, Panghal pulled off leg-lace transfer with perfection to complete the bout in a jiffy.
Within the quarterfinal, she led 6-Zero however Natalia from Russia effected a comeback with a take-down and consecutive gut-wrench factors to make it 6-6.
On counter-attack Panghal took the lead once more. The Indian prolonged the lead with a left-leg assault which she transformed right into a take-down. After that, about 30 seconds have been nonetheless left within the bout however Paghal denied her rival.
Nevertheless, Manisha (62kg), Priyanka (68kg) and Jyoti Berwal (72kg) have misplaced their bouts and exited the match.
All 10 males’s free-style wrestlers have already exited the match with out successful both an Olympic quota or a medal in non-Olympic classes.
All Indian athletes are competing beneath the UWW flag as a result of the wrestling federation is suspended. PTI AT AM AM UNG
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