Vinesh Phogat, India’s wrestling icon, embarks on her quest for Olympic glory at the Paris Olympics 2024, commencing on Tuesday. She faces a formidable challenge in her opening bout against Japan’s Yui Susaki, the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 50kg category.
Phogat, a world championship bronze medalist and a gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, is determined to start her campaign with a victory. However, Susaki poses a significant obstacle, having won gold at Tokyo 2020 without surrendering a single point. Her undefeated streak since 2010, with the exception of three losses to Yuki Irie, further underscores her dominance.
Susaki’s exceptional technique has earned her numerous accolades, including gold medals at the 2017 Paris World Wrestling Championships (48kg), 2018 Budapest World Wrestling Championships (50kg), and 2022 World Wrestling Championships (50kg). Her impressive resume also boasts an Olympic gold, five World Championships golds, two Asian Championships golds, and gold medals at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin and World U-23 Championships.
Phogat faces an arduous task, having suffered a quarterfinal defeat at Tokyo 2020 against Belarusian Vanesa Kaladzinskaya. In her Olympic debut at Rio 2016, she was a medal contender but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.
Despite the daunting challenge, facing Susaki could prove advantageous for Phogat. As the Japanese wrestler is heavily favored to reach the final, it could open up the repechage route for Phogat, who dropped down to the 50kg category to accommodate Antim Panghal in the 53kg category.
Phogat’s accomplishments are remarkable, making her the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. She is also the only Indian woman wrestler to win multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships.
