Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who qualified for the Paris Olympics, won the gold medal in the women’s 50 kg category at the Spain Grand Prix. The two-time World Championship bronze medalist Vinesh defeated Maria Tumrekova 10-5 in the final to clinch the top spot. She got a Schengen visa at the last moment and entered the final after winning three matches without any problems.
Earlier, the 29-year-old World Champion defeated Cuba’s Yusnelis Guzman by 12-4. She then recorded a quarter-final win against 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Madison Parkes of Canada in Birmingham. In the semifinals, she defeated another Canadian, Katie Duchak, by 9-4.
After the training-cum-competition period in Spain, Vinesh will head to France for 20 days of training in preparation for the Paris Olympics. She also participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games in the women’s 53kg. This will be her third appearance in the Olympics. The victory is an immense morale boost for Vinesh, who was a prominent figure in the protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
