What’s the story?
In the ongoing Pro Wrestling League at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, the Haryana Hammers’ Sofia Mattsson inflicted an astounding 46-second defeat on the UP Dangal’s Babita Kumari in the 53 kg category bout on Wednesday. The Indian, who is one of the best and most popular wrestlers in the country, was in for a shocker as the experienced Swede won by fall in the first round itself.
The Hammers have now made it two wins out of two in the second season of the league, after finishing runners-up the last time around. “It was difficult to wrestle in front of such a huge and loud crowd, but I tried my best to shut them out and focus on the match,” said Mattsson after her side’s 5-2 overall win.
In case you didn’t know...
Babita, whose story was captured in the big screen in the hugely popular Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal, was a part of the UP Warriors side in the inaugural edition of the PWL. In a do-or-die match for her team, she succumbed to the pressure as her Swedish opponent took less than a minute to pin her down on both shoulders to end the bout.
Mattsson was coming off the back of a successful 2016, where she won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics and gold at the European Championships. The 27-year old had previously defeated another Indian in Lalita Sherawat of the Mumbai Maharathi on Monday and this was her second win on the bounce.
The heart of the matter
Babita was slow off the blocks as her opponent was quick to take the initiative and gain an early advantage. Just a few seconds into the first round, the Indian found herself in a vicious lock after a successful takedown by Mattsson saw her race into a 4-0 lead.
She tried her best to wriggle out of the situation but the Swede was too strong for her and just 46 seconds into the game, it was all over. The gold medalist from the 2014 Commonwealth Games could not believe what had just transpired as she succumbed to a resounding loss.
What next?
With the tie sealed at 4-2 and just one more bout to go, the Haryana Hammers were assured of victory in the matchup and they now move to the top of the table with two wins out of two. They will take on the Delhi Sultans in their next fixture on January 11.
On the other hand, the UP Dangal sit on zero points along with the sides from Mumbai and Punjab – all three having lost their opening encounters. They go up against the Mumbai Maharathi next on Saturday i.e. January 7.
Sportskeeda’s Take
It was a crushing loss for Babita and this could severely affect her confidence going into the rest of the tournament. She will look to bounce back in her side’s next fixture. As far as the Mattsson and Haryana are considered, they will look to go from strength to strength and continue their winning run.
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