Indian women’s wrestler Anshu Malik fell short against her 21-year-old Chinese rival Keixin Hong, settling for a silver medal in the 57 kg category at the Budapest Ranking Series.
Facing the top-ranked Chinese wrestler, Anshu lost 1-12 on technical superiority to the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist in the 53 kg category.
Anshu secured her spot in the semifinals with a narrow 6-5 victory over Moldova’s Anastasia Nichita. Trailing 5-4 with just 19 seconds remaining, Anshu executed a decisive side takedown to take a 6-5 lead. She then defeated world champion Zhang Qi 2-1, setting up a title clash with another Chinese competitor. However, Hong outclassed Anshu, taking a 4-1 lead in the opening round and solidifying her dominance with an unassailable lead with 11 seconds left in the second round.
In other events, India’s finalist Panghal earned a hard-fought silver in the 53 kg category, while star wrestler Vinesh Phogat lost 0-5 to China’s Jiang Zhu in the quarterfinals of the 50 kg category. Additionally, Aman Sehrawat, India’s only male wrestler to qualify for the Paris Olympics, claimed a silver medal on the first day after a 1-11 loss to Japan’s Rei Higuchi on technical superiority.
