World Wrestling Championship 2021 | Anshu Malik creates history, reaches the final of the 57kg event
Anshu Malik featured in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
|Tokyo Olympian Anshu Malik created history by reaching the final of the women’s 57kg category at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships, in Oslo, Norway, on Wednesday. The grappler became the first-ever women’s wrestler to achieve the feat, having assured herself of at least a silver medal.
Previously, four Indian wrestlers have won medals at the world championships - Geeta Phogat (2012), Babita Phogat (2012), Pooja Dhanda (2018) and Vinesh Phogat (2019), all of them winning bronze medals at the mega event. On Wednesday, Tokyo Olympian Anshu Malik created history by becoming the first-ever women’s grappler to reach the final of the 57kg category at the global event and assure herself of at least a silver medal.
Up against Ukrainian Solomia Vynnyk in the semi-final, Anshu did not set a foot wrong, as he claimed the match by virtue of technical superiority. The Indian will take on USA’s Helen Louise Maroulis in the gold medal match of the 57kg event.
Meanwhile, India’s Sarita Mor will be aiming for a bronze medal in the women’s 59kg category, after she lost her semi-final bout to former world championships silver-medallist - Bilyana Dudova, of Bulgaria.
On the other hand, Divya Kakran will wrestle in the repechage rounds of the women’s 72kg event, against Mongolia’s Davaanasan Enkh Amar. The winner of the bout will get be lock horns with Anna Schell for the bronze medal.
Divya Kakran was ousted in the quarter-finals of her respective event, while Ritu Malik fell in the round of 16 of the 68kg event.Â
Pooja Jatt lost in the first repechage round of the women’s 53kg category against Luisa Valverde Melendres of Ecuador. Kiran Bishnoi also missed out a bronze medal after losing to Egypt’s Samar Ibrahim Hamza in the play-offs.
