Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, April 22: Anshu Malik was the epitome of domination, winning all three of her bouts by technical superiority to go to the 57kg final, while Manisha will compete for 62kg bronze at the Asian Championships on Friday.
The 20-year-old reigning champion from Nidani village in Haryana put in a good showing and practically played with her opponents to secure her third Asian Championship medal. She had won bronze in the 2020 event in her home country and the 57kg crown in Almaty last year.
Anshu, the first Indian woman wrester to reach the World Championship final last year, started with a win over Uzbekistan’s Shokhida Akhmedova and then dominated Singapore’s Danielle Sue Ching Lim, who appeared to be at sea against her stronger Indian opponent.
Anshu didn’t give her opponents much time to think or strategize as she bluffed them with move after move. In the semifinals, she defeated Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu, starting with a four-point throw after a double-leg attack.
The last-four stage bout was over in just two minutes and 12 seconds thanks to easy takedowns and push-out points. Manisha, who had been competing well in the 62kg category at home for some time, was eliminated from the gold medal race after losing her quarterfinal to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki in just 40 seconds.
Ozaki caught her in a leg-lace move early in the fight and won it in a flash. Manisha had gotten off to a great start, defeating Kazakhstan’s Ayaulym Kassymova 9-0. She will compete for bronze against Hanbit Lee of Korea.
