Vinesh Phogat Wins 50kg Semi, Becomes First Indian Woman Wrestler to Reach Olympics Final

Vinesh will become the first Indian woman athlete to win gold at the Olympics if she triumphs in the 50kg freestyle final at Paris 2024.

Vinesh Phogat (50kg) became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the Olympic Games with a convincing 5-0 win over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez on Tuesday. With this semifinal win, Vinesh guaranteed herself at least a silver medal. Both wrestlers started cautiously, but a passivity clock on Lopez allowed Vinesh to score one technical point when the Cuban didn’t take a risk. Vinesh led 1-0 at the end of the first period.

She extended her dominance in the second period with four more points, sealing the bout in her favor with a final score of 5-0.

Earlier, Vinesh reached the semifinals with two incredible wins against reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan and Ukraine’s eighth seed Oksana Livach, making it a memorable day for the combative Indian grappler.

Vinesh had previously faced quarter-final exits in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 editions.