Hours before she was due to leave for Spain, Vinesh Phogat made a desperate plea to government authorities, seeking their intervention in getting a visa. Turns out those were the only moments of stress the Indian wrestler had to grapple with.
For, once the visa came through and she made the journey to Spain, Vinesh remained largely untroubled on the mat.
Vinesh’s final stretch of preparation for the Paris Olympics kick-started in the best possible way after the former Asian Games champion and world championship bronze medallist won the 50 kg category at the Grand Prix of Spain on Saturday.
It was a lightweight field but for the Indian wrestler, the gold medal will come as a boost given she is still getting used to her new weight category, having moved down to 50 kg from her usual 53 kg class.
Vinesh defeated Mariia Tiumerekova 10-5 in the final. Mariia is a Russian wrestler who competes as a neutral athlete due to the ban imposed on athletes from that nation following its invasion of Ukraine.
Mariia won’t be there at the Paris Olympics later this month after Russia did not accept the invitation that allowed some of its wrestlers to compete at the Games.
Vinesh began her day by beating Pan American champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba 12-4. She then proceeded to record a win by fall over Canada’s Madison Parks, a 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, before beating another Canadian wrestler, Katie Dutchak, 9-4 in the semifinals.
The title in Spain won’t have any bearing on Vinesh’s prospects for the Paris Olympics. But it would certainly give her a much-needed boost heading into the Games. After her training-cum-competition stint in Spain, Vinesh will travel to France for a 20-day camp.
Her opening bout at the Paris Games is scheduled to be held exactly in a month, on August 6.
