Asian Wrestling Championships: Anshu Malik, Radhika clinch silver medals; Manisha wins bronze

Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Apr 22: India's promising young wrestler Anshu Malik settled for a silver medal in the 57kg category at the Asian Wrestling Championships here on Friday (April 22). Ashu had a sensational start as she won three earlier bouts in a dominant fashion but lost in the gold medal game against Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai by fall.

Radhika also won a silver in 65kg category while Manisha bagged a bronze in the 62kg division. Anshu was dominance personified en route to her entry into the final round as she won all her three earlier bouts by technical superiority.

The 20-year-old defending champion from Haryana's Nidani village dished out a strong performance and literally toyed with her opponents to assure herself a third Asian Championship medal. She had won a bronze in the 2020 edition at home and won the 57kg title last year in Almaty.

Anshu, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the World Championship final last year, began with a win over Uzbekistan's Shokhida Akhmedova and followed that up with another dominating victory against Singapore's Danielle Sue Ching Lim, who appeared at sea against her superior Indian rival. Anshu hardly gave her rivals time to think or strategise as she pulled off move after move with ease to bamboozle them.

She overpowered Mongolia's Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the semifinals, beginning with a four-point throw that ensued from a double-leg attack. Easy take-downs and push-out points meant that the last-four stage bout ended in just two minutes and 12 seconds.

Radhika emerged victorious against Dariga Aben of Kazakhstan in her Round 5 bout to clinch the silver. Manisha, meanwhile, settled for a bronze after losing to Korea's Hanbit Lee.

The Indian, who has been doing well in the 62kg category at domestic events for some time, lost her semifinal in just 40 seconds to Japan's Nonoka Ozaki to bow out of the gold medal race.

Ozaki trapped her in leg-lace move early in the contest and finished the bout in a jiffy. This was after Manisha was off to a flying start, winning 9-0 against Kazakhstan's Ayaulym Kassymova. Meanwhile, Swati Shinde (53kg) lost both her bouts by technical superiority to go out of the medal race.

(With PTI inputs)