"Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India" - Bajrang Punia heaps praise on Indian wrestler’s performance in Paris Olympics 2024

Bajrang Punia lauded Vinesh Phogat for her incredible showing in the Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh has been exceptional in the women’s 50kg category event on Tuesday (August 6). The 29-year-old became the first Indian female wrestler to make her way through to the final of a wrestling event in the history of the showpiece event.

She started by beating Yui Susaki of Japan in the Round of 16, staging one of the biggest upsets caused by an Indian on the mat. Susaki was a two-time Olympic champion, but Vinesh was in a zone of her own and did not let her Japanese opponent dominate.

In the quarters, Vinesh got the better of Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and made her way through to the semis. After she defeated Susaki and Livach, Bajrang called Vinesh “the lioness of India”.

“Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India who won back-to-back matches today. Defeated 4-time World Champion and defending Olympic champion. After that he defeated the former World Champion in the quarterfinals,” Punia wrote in a post on X.

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Vinesh Phogat creates history for India

Back in 2016, Sakshi Malik made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in boxing at the Olympics. Eight years later, Vinesh wrote a new chapter by making her way through to the final where she would be competing for a gold medal.

After taking down Susaki and Livach, the pressure was on Vinesh when she faced Yusneylys Guzman. But she came out even more aggressively to beat her Cuban opponent 5:0 in what turned out to be a one-sided semi-final.

Vinesh now has a chance to become the first Indian wrestler to win gold in boxing at the Olympics. She will also join Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra on the rare list of Indians who have won gold in individual events at the Olympics.

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