Rookie Sonam ends Olympic medallist Sakshi's Tokyo dreams - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Rookie Sonam ends Olympic medallist Sakshi's Tokyo dreams

By, Lucknow
Mar 22, 2021 08:03 PM IST

Sonam took down Sakshi in a fiercely contested 62kg bout to win 8-7 and book her place in the team for the Asian Olympic qualifiers in April.

India’s young wrestling sensation Sonam Malik on Monday continued her winning streak against Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, defeating the ace wrestler for the fourth successive time in a thriller at the Indian team selection trials here.

Sonam Malik (in red) during a bout(HT Photo)
Sonam Malik (in red) during a bout(HT Photo)

Fast emerging as one of India's brightest prospects for Tokyo, Sonam took down Sakshi in a fiercely contested 62kg bout to win 8-7 and book her place in the team for the Asian Olympic qualifiers in April.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

So far, India's women wrestlers have secured an Olympic quota in only the 53kg category, won by Vinesh Phogat when she bagged a bronze at the 2019 World Championships.

On Monday, the others who earned a spot for the Olympic qualifiers are Seema (50 Kg), Anshu Malik (57 Kg), and Pooja (76 Kg).

For the 19-year-old former cadet world champion Sonam, who is yet to fully recover from an injury, making the team has been the biggest leap forward in her fledgeling career. With four stitches already on the left side of her head, Sonam was trailing by 1-2 at the end of the first round with Sakshi showing a lot of improvement in her tackling.

But within the very first minute of the second and last round, Sonam levelled the score with quick footwork, before pushing Sakshi on her back for two more points to take the score to 4-2. An experienced Sakshi went on an attacking spree to take the score to 6-4 in her favour.

With only 32 seconds remaining on the clock, Sonam now went on the attack and earned four points. Though Sakshi managed one more point with a defensive technique, she couldn’t catch Sonam, seeing her dreams of representing India at one more Olympics crashing.

“Even after trailing by 4-6 within two minutes of the second round, I was sure of winning as I knew well when to catch Sakshi on the wrong foot,” Sonam said. “From the very start of the bout, I didn’t lose my confidence.”

Before Monday’s win, Sonam had beaten Sakshi at the Senior Nationals at Agra last month for the title, and thrice more at trials, including the selection tournament for the Olympics qualifiers in 2020 before the Games was postponed.

“She wasn’t fully fit today but she was determined for a place in the Indian squad for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament (April 9-11) and the Asian Championships (April 13-18),” Sonam's coach Ajmer Malik said after the bout. "Today’s win is just a beginning for Sonam."

Catch all the Latest IPL 2024 news and Live Cricket Score along with WPL Schedule and WPL Points Table related updates on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Sharad Deep is a versatile sports journalist, who loves writing on cricket and Olympic sport. He has played cricket at the university level and has been writing for Hindustan Times since 1997.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On