Editor's Pick | Vinesh Phogat on the cusp of Olympics glory

Vinesh Phogat has made history. On the back of the grapplers’ protests in India, a knee surgery and questions over her qualification, she overcame two opponents to reach the women’s wrestling 50kg final at the Paris Games on Tuesday — the first Indian woman to do so. After stunning World and Olympic champion Yui Susaki 3-2 in the opening round, Vinesh defeated Ukrainian Oksana Livach 7-5 in the quarterfinals and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semifinals to become the second Indian woman wrestler to secure an Olympic medal after Sakshi Malik. Vinesh will take on USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the gold on Thursday. She gained from the Cuban’s passivity to lead 1-0 after the first period and employed a right leg attack to effect a takedown for a 3-0 lead and gathered two more points to make it 5-0. Following her struggles during the wrestlers’ protest last year, uncertainties after a knee surgery and confusion over whether she could get a chance to challenge Antim Panghal, who had won the 53kg Olympic quota place, two-time World championships bronze medal winning wrestler Vinesh chose to compete in the 50kg selection trials and eventually secured a quota. Last year, wrestlers, including Phogat, had demanded the arrest of then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. In an editorial, The Hindu had pointed out that “the message has to be clear to all, particularly the victims and the perpetrators, that there is zero tolerance of sexual harassment in India.” Despite the arduous task of significantly cutting down her body weight to fit into the category, Vinesh shocked Yui in her opening bout on her way to the semifinals at the Champ de Mars arena. This was the first loss for Yui in an international competition. She had never tasted defeat in 82 international matches. For someone who dislocated her knee midway through the quarterfinal bout to be stretchered off in the Rio Olympics and had a forgettable outing in Tokyo, it was a remarkable performance from the feisty Vinesh, who fights her battles, both on and off the mat, with brain and brawn. Vinesh did the unthinkable against the top-seeded Yui. The Indian’s turnaround in the dying seconds seemed magical, but it was part of a well thought-out strategy, much like a tactical chess match. Practically still and without a single move for most part of the bout, a patient Vinesh began her only attack with less than 20 seconds to go. Alert like a cheetah, she capitalised when Yui lost her balance while retreating and effected a takedown with nine seconds left. The two points were good enough to ensure Vinesh’s win through criteria as her move fetched more technical points. A teary-eyed Vinesh’s celebrations with coach Woller Akos was befitting of the upset, perhaps the biggest by an Indian so far. The two, who faced criticism after the Tokyo flop show and trained single-mindedly in Bengaluru and Spain in the run-up to Paris, were overwhelmed after producing a result which changed the dynamics of the highly-competitive 50kg class. “It was a miracle,” said Indian women’s head coach Virender Dahiya. Vinesh then regrouped to ward off a strong challenge from Livach. Vinesh showed her class to claim another two-pointer and ultimately won the hard-fought bout to set up a semifinal clash with Guzman Lopez. The Hindu’s Editorials ​From hope to despair: On Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina ​Healing a nation: On Kamala Harris and the U.S. Presidential race The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which article of the Constitution deals with dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank of civil servants without a departmental inquiry? Article 311 Article 42 Article 370 Article 270 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 07 August 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 07 August 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Vinesh Phogat on the cusp of Olympics glory Vinesh Phogat has made history. On the back of the grapplers’ protests in India, a knee surgery and questions over her qualification, she overcame two opponents to [reach the women’s wrestling 50kg final at the Paris Games]( on Tuesday — the first Indian woman to do so. After stunning World and Olympic champion Yui Susaki 3-2 in the opening round, Vinesh defeated Ukrainian Oksana Livach 7-5 in the quarterfinals and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semifinals to become the second Indian woman wrestler to secure an Olympic medal after Sakshi Malik. Vinesh will take on USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the gold on Thursday. She gained from the Cuban’s passivity to lead 1-0 after the first period and employed a right leg attack to effect a takedown for a 3-0 lead and gathered two more points to make it 5-0. Following her struggles during the [wrestlers’ protest last year]( uncertainties after a knee surgery and confusion over whether she could get a chance to challenge Antim Panghal, who had won the 53kg Olympic quota place, two-time World championships bronze medal winning wrestler Vinesh chose to compete in the 50kg selection trials and eventually secured a quota. Last year, wrestlers, including Phogat, had demanded the arrest of then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. [In an editorial, The Hindu had pointed out]( that “the message has to be clear to all, particularly the victims and the perpetrators, that there is zero tolerance of sexual harassment in India.” Despite the arduous task of significantly cutting down her body weight to fit into the category, Vinesh shocked Yui in her opening bout on her way to the semifinals at the Champ de Mars arena. This was the first loss for Yui in an international competition. She had never tasted defeat in 82 international matches. For someone who dislocated her knee midway through the quarterfinal bout to be stretchered off in the Rio Olympics and had a forgettable outing in Tokyo, it was a remarkable performance from the feisty Vinesh, who fights her battles, both on and off the mat, with brain and brawn. Vinesh did the unthinkable against the top-seeded Yui. The Indian’s turnaround in the dying seconds seemed magical, but it was part of a well thought-out strategy, much like a tactical chess match. Practically still and without a single move for most part of the bout, a patient Vinesh began her only attack with less than 20 seconds to go. Alert like a cheetah, she capitalised when Yui lost her balance while retreating and effected a takedown with nine seconds left. The two points were good enough to ensure Vinesh’s win through criteria as her move fetched more technical points. A teary-eyed Vinesh’s celebrations with coach Woller Akos was befitting of the upset, perhaps the biggest by an Indian so far. The two, who faced criticism after the Tokyo flop show and trained single-mindedly in Bengaluru and Spain in the run-up to Paris, were overwhelmed after producing a result which changed the dynamics of the highly-competitive 50kg class. “It was a miracle,” said Indian women’s head coach Virender Dahiya. Vinesh then regrouped to ward off a strong challenge from Livach. Vinesh showed her class to claim another two-pointer and ultimately won the hard-fought bout to set up a semifinal clash with Guzman Lopez. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][​From hope to despair: On Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina]( [Arrow][​Healing a nation: On Kamala Harris and the U.S. Presidential race]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which article of the Constitution deals with dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank of civil servants without a departmental inquiry? - Article 311 - Article 42 - Article 370 - Article 270 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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