Paris Olympics 2024: Vinesh Phogat Storms into Semi-Finals With A Win Over Ukraine's Okshana Livach

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Paris, Aug 6: Continuing her stellar form, ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat stormed into the semi-finals of the 50kg women's freestyle wrestling after defeating Ukraine's Okshana Livach in a tense quarter-final bout.

Fresh from her emphatic victory over gold medal favourite and four-time world champion Yui Susaki, Vinesh registered a hard-fought win by 7-5, taking another significant step towards a medal.

In the first round, Vinesh started strong, earning two crucial points through a takedown in the initial three minutes. However, Livach fought back, securing a couple of points with a takedown of her own.

Vinesh managed to earn another point through a reversal, setting the stage for a tense last minute in the first round. By the end of this round, Vinesh's lead was reduced to just one point after losing a point due to a video challenge when Okshana pushed her out of the mat.

The second round saw both athletes pushing hard for a win. Despite losing a couple of points following another takedown, Vinesh kept her cool and picked up two more points. In the closing seconds, the Indian grappler avoided a takedown, deliberately conceding a point by going out of the mat, ensuring her 7-5 victory. Vinesh will now be in action in the semi-final later today.

Earlier, Vinesh pulled off the biggest upset at the Paris Olympics by outwitting the hitherto invincible Yui Susaki, executing a perfectly planned strategy to come out as a surprise winner in the women's 50kg opening round.

The Tokyo Games gold medallist and four-time World Champion Susaki had not lost any of her 94 bouts in her international career but was defeated by Vinesh in a closely contested 2-3 match.

In her quarter-final bout against the former European champion and 2018 world championship bronze-medallist Oksana Livach of Ukraine, Vinesh demonstrated remarkable composure and tactical brilliance.

Thrown in at the deep end, Vinesh came out with a strategy to look for that one attack in the dying moments and pulled it off successfully, ensuring her spot in the semi-finals.