Girl power at the Pro-Wrestling League: Know the top women wrestlers of the tournament

Geeta Phogat broke the mold when she took up wrestlingThere isn’t an obvious connection between women and freestyle wrestling, but scratch the surface, and you will be quite impressed. Case in point - the inaugural Pro-Wrestling League of India. The first of its kind in the country, the event will see six franchises competing for the top prize and bragging rights as the landmark edition's supremo. Contrary to mass perception, the auctions for the event were dominated by top female talent, including the big names on the internationally and national scale.Of the 50+ grapplers that were apportioned amongst the six teams, the most expensive were women. Who were they and what made them so valuable? We’ll tell you here:

#1 Oksana Herhel

The 21-year-old made a quantum leap from finishing seventh in last year’s World Championships to being crowned the 2015 World Champion (Freestyle) in the 60 Kg division. She defeated reigning champion, 20-year-old Mongolian Sukhee Tserenchimed in the final.

While the victory is momentous, the young Ukrainian was distinctive with her confidence and poise, not showing any intimidation in the face of a massive task. She is the league’s costliest athlete, trumping everyone else to be sold for an astounding Rs. 41.3 lakhs.

Herhel will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt and Amit Dahiya on the Haryana team.

#2 Vasilia Marzaliuk

The second-costliest wrestler in the Pro Wrestling League hails from Belarus and is a triple-bronze winner in World Championships, picking up one each in the 2011, 2012 and 2015 editions. She has represented Belarus in the Olympics, narrowly losing out on the bronze in the 2012 London Olympics.

In the inaugural European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, this year, Marzaliuk grappled her way to the gold medal in the Women’s 75 Kg Freestyle category. She was snapped up by the CDR Punjab Royals for Rs. 40.2 lakhs, where she will be teammates with Indian star Geeta Phogat.

Marzaliuk will lock horns with American World Champion Adeline Gray, as both of them are in the +69 Kg category.

#3 Elif Jale Yesilirmak

The Russian-born Turkish grappler is a part of Veer Delhi and has competed in the 58, 59 and 63 Kg divisions in major international tournaments. She was born Yulia Guramievna Rekvava in Smolensk, Russia. Representing Russia, she won a bronze medal (59 Kg) in the European Wrestling Championships in 2009.

Rekvava became a naturalized Turkish citizen in 2011, converted to Islam and changed her name to what it is today. She has won bronze medals in the 2012 European Championships, the 2014 and 2015 World Championships and the 2015 European Games, competing in the 58 Kg class in all except the 2012 tournament.

Yesilirmak is the first woman to represent Turkey in Olympic wrestling, doing so in the 2012 London edition.

#4 Adeline Gray

The American became only the second woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the World Wrestling Championships, after finishing on top of the podium in Las Vegas, 2015. She has had a stellar record in the World Championships, making it to the podium in every edition of the tournament since 2011.

Gray was introduced to wrestling by her father and originally wanted to be a football (soccer) player in college. After a chance meeting with 2005 World Champion (72 kg) Iris Smith, Gray was inspired to represent America in freestyle wrestling. She hopes to win a gold in next year’s Olympics.

Gray is a part of Mumbaiche Garude and was sold for Rs. 37 lakhs. She stands 5’10” tall and competes in the 75 Kg category.

#5 Babita Kumari

Babita is the younger sister of Geeta Phogat and an acomplished wrestler in her own right. A part of India’s first family of wrestling, the daughter of the legendary Mahavir Singh Phogat has won a bronze in the 2012 World Championships, a silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and she followed that up with a gold in the 2014 edition.

Babita competes mainly in the 55 Kg. The trio of Babita, her sister Geeta and cousin Vinesh have inspired a change in attitude towards women in their village in Haryana. She will be portrayed by someone in Aamir Khan’s upcoming film “Dangal”, which is based on her father.

#6 Geeta Phogat

The poster girl of Indian wrestling started from humble roots in the village of Balali in Haryana and went on to become the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics. She won a bronze in the 2012 World Championships and a gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

She competes in the 55 Kg division and is a part of the CDR Punjab Royals. Geeta will be a part of one of the most eagerly anticipated match-ups in the Pro Wrestling League when she takes on Elif Yesilirmak, who defeated her in their last encounter in the 2015 World Championships

#7 Sofia Mattson

The Swedish sensation had made a name for herself by the age of 18, having won two Junior World Championships and becoming one of the highest ranked wrestlers in Europe. Mattson started out in the 48 Kg category, but has since competed in classes between the 50-60 Kg mark, winning gold in the 2009 World Championships and making it to the podium in the 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015 editions.

Mattson went to Veer Delhi for Rs.33 lakhs. She can count Turkish star Elif Yesilirmak and Vinesh Phogat amongst her teammates in the franchise.