Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik is on the brink of making history as the first Indian female wrestler to ever win an Olympic medal by ending a dismal medalless streak for the country at the Rio Olympics 2016. She has just decimated her Mongolian opponent Orkhon Purevdorj with a 12-3 scoreline to cruise into the Bronze-medal match of Women’s 58 kg Freestyle Wrestling.
Having lost her quarter-final bout 2-9 to Valeria Koblova of Russia, Sakshi had lost the opportunity to aim for a gold or silver medal but when the Russian emerged victorious in the semi-final rounds to secure a place in the gold-medal clash, the Indian was in with a shot at bronze through the Repechage system.
Her opposition was decided from the Round 1 fixture of Repechage where Orkhon Purevdorj of Mongolia defeated German grappler Luisa Niemesch by Fall. Orkhon had lost her Round of 16 encounter against Koblova because of which she had to cross one extra fight than the Indian before reaching the 2nd Round of Repechage to be held at the Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro.
Encouragingly for the Indians, it was Sakshi who got off the blocks first, collecting two points merely 15 seconds into the 1st period with a deceptive takedown. Earning the first points made her opt for a defensive approach due to which the adjudicator warned her for passivity. 90 seconds into the contest, it was Sakshi’s turn to get pinned on the mat thereby giving Orkhon her 1st points.
It was all square at 2-2 at the halfway mark after which both wrestlers knew they had to get a move on. At the end of the 4th minute, Sakshi had to score an attacking point in 30 seconds which she failed in thus offering the 3rd point for Orkhon.
But the worrying signs did not have a lasting impact as Sakshi pounced on the Mongolian’s free leg to execute back-to-back takedowns and sailing ahead to a lead of 4 points. In the last minute, as Orkhon grew desperate to reduce the deficit before it gets too late, Sakshi trapped her with a firm grip around her waist and scored double couples, before eventually pushing her out of the ring to reach a 12-3 scoreline just before the full-time hooter was blown.
A resounding 12-3 victory later, Sakshi qualified for the Bronze medal contest where she will face Aisuluu Tynybekova – the reigning Asian champion from Kyrgyzstan.
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