
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat pinned 2017 world champion V Kaladzinskay to win a gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament in the 53kg category. She returned to the mat in style after a long coronavirus-forced break.
The Indian world number three faced the world number seven Belarusian as they grappled and tested each other with consistent attacks in a see-saw battle in which Vinesh prevailed.
Opening a 4-0 lead with a throw Vinesh initiated with a left-leg attack but Kaladzinskay equalised it 4-4 with a brilliant move.
Vinesh took the break leading 6-4 as she scored with a take-down 10 seconds before the break.
The match continued to get intense after the break as the Belarusian put pressure with a four-point throw but with 25 seconds to go, Vinesh’s move got her four points for a 10-8 lead. She got to a position and pinned Kaladzinskay to ensure gold for herself.
As coronavirus halted the competitions last year, this was the first competition for Vinesh since then. She is the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo Olympics.
The next tournament for Vinesh is the UWW ranking series event which is to be held at Matteo Pellicone, Italy. Fellow Tokyo Qualifiers Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya would also be seen in action from March 4 to 7.