Vinesh banks on experience to turn bronze into gold

Bengaluru, August 13: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who had to settle for a bronze medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games is banking on her experince as well as her current form and momentum to change the colour of the medal at the 2018 Games to be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

The grappler was 20 when she fell short of reaching the 48 kg category final in 2014 Games, losing to Japan's Eri Tosaka but earning a podium finish by defeating Mongolia's Narangerel Eredenesukh.

"Back then, I was quite young. Now, I have experience on my side, and would want to make full use of that," Vinesh told reporters on the sidelines of a send-off event organised by Tata Motors in New Delhi on Sunday.

.@Phogat_Vinesh won bronze at Incheon 2014, but believes that she is a lot more experienced this time around, and is more hopeful than ever of finally winning a gold at the #AsianGames2018 | By @akb287https://t.co/qA8MRpdcOe

— FirstpostSports (@FirstpostSports) August 13, 2018

"I will give my best to change the colour of the medal that I win, preferably gold, as there's nothing that exceeds gold."

Vinesh has enjoyed a stellar season, claiming a second consecutive gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in April, as well as winning the Spanish Grand Prix last month.

During her training camp in Hungary, Vinesh added finishing touches to her preparations with coach Woller Akos as she awaits tough competition at the Jakarta International Expo Hall.

"It's just the set of opponents which changes, and brings about a change in strategy as well," she added.

"The competitors will be quite strong, given that there will be a number of Olympic medallists among the contenders... so my focus will be on giving my best in every single match."

(With Agency inputs)