Vinesh Phogat beats two-time World Champion to win gold in Ukraine wrestling meet

India's ace female wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins gold medal on her return to action after a year at the XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial, in Kyiv on Saturday.

In the finals of of 53kg women's wrestling event Vinesh beat two-time world champion and two-time European champion Vanesa Kaladzinskay of Belarus by 10-8.

In the semifinals, Vinesh had defeated Ana A of Romania as she pinned her opponent by fall.

Earlier, in the Round of 16, Vinesh scored a comfortable victory over Katsiaryna Pichkouskaya of Belarus to reach quarters stage of the women's 53kg category.

In the quarters, she took on Iulia Leorda of Moldova whom she beat by 2-0.

The 26-year-old World Championships bronze medallist, who is already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, is taking part in her first competition since the Asian Championships in New Delhi in February last year. The long hiatus was caused due to the coronavirus pandemic that affected competition schedules. Her training was affected by the nationwide lockdown and eventually, she was also tested positive for the virus.

After recovering, Vinesh and her coach Woller Akos travelled to Hungary during the end of 2020. After training the entire month in Hungary, they went to Poland for a couple of weeks. After Kyiv, Vinesh will travel to Rome to play at the Matteo Pelicone Invitational in the first week of March, where she will have the opportunity to earn ranking points which might lead to an easier draw in the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

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