Paris Olympics 2024 Wrestling: Reetika Hooda beats Bernadett Nagy to progress through to Paris 2024 QF
India’s Reetika Hooda defeated Bernadett Nagy of Hungary by technical superiority (12-2) in the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s 76kg freestyle division event in the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics. As a result, she progressed through to the quarter-finals.
Hooda, who became the first female Indian wrestler to qualify for the heavyweight category at an Olympic Games, surprised the eight-seeded with her all-out attacking display on Saturday. The 21-year-old won both rounds in the bout, finally taking a 10-point lead and winning the match by technical superiority in what was her Olympic debut.
Hooda, who is India’s final medal hope in the Paris 2024 Olympics, will now face the top-seeded Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Reetika Hooda dominates in Olympic debut against eight-seeded Nagy; leads India’s final medal push
Reetika Hooda entered the bout against eight-seeded Bernadett Nagy, a European Championships bronze medalist, on Saturday as an underdog. The Olympic debutant was an unseeded wrestler at the tournament and only had an Asian Championships bronze medal to show for in senior tournaments.
However, the wrestler from Rohtak was a different beast on the mat and took immediate charge from the get-go. She took a four-point lead in the early stages, surprising her opponent with some incredible display of strength. Nagy tried to fight back at the end of the first round, winning two points with a takedown to give herself a chance in the second round.
Nagy’s late fight, however, proved to be a false dawn, as Reetika completely dominated her opponent in the second round. The Indian wrestler made it a completely one-sided affair, taking down her opponent at will to take a 10-point lead, winning the bout with 29 seconds remaining on the clock.
Reetika Hooda will now need to muster up all her courage as she will go against the No. 1 seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy in the semi-finals. Kyzy is a two-time Asian champion and a World Championships silver medalist.
Reetika will look to give it her all to make India’s women’s wrestling journey in Paris a fruitful one, especially after the debacles surrounding Vinesh Phogat and Antim Panghal.