CWG 2018 | Vinesh Phogat wins gold in the Women’s 50 kg category

After a disappointing outing at the 2016 Olympics where Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was stretchered off due to an injury, she bounced back strongly this time at the 2018 Gold Coast CWG to secure a Gold in the Women’s 50 kg category today.

Phogat began the day with a bout against Nigerian opponent Miesinnei Genesis who proved to be a worthy opponent to her Indian counterpart as Genesis made Phogat struggle throughout the encounter. The bout ended with 6-5 in Phogat’s favor, which meant she would face Rupinder Kaur of Australia in the next round.

Kaur, a local favorite, was swept away by a dominant display by Phogat as she comfortably won the bout by a score of 10-0 on technical superiority. This ensured that Vinesh would get a shot at Gold in this year’s CWG to redeem herself after the disappointment she endured in Rio.

And as fate would have it, Phogat managed to clinch Gold by beating Canadian opponent Jessica Macdonald in stunning fashion in the final bout. She emerged victorious by a scoreline of 13-3 on the basis of technical superiority. 

This was India’s Seventh medal in wrestling this year after previous wins by Sakshi Malik and Sumit added to India’s already impressive medal tally.