Rio 2016 Wrestling, Highlights: Sakshi Malik Breaks Jinx, Earns Medal For India
Sakshi Malik made history by winning the bronze medal in the women's 55kg freestyle by beating Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan. Catch the wrestling highlights here
Sakshi Malik gave India their first medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning bronze in the women's 55kg freestyle event. She beat Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the bronze medal match thus becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal. Get wrestling highlights of 2016 Rio Olympics here (MEDAL TALLY | SCHEDULE)
03:05 hrs IST: That's it from us here. Thanks for joining us on this historic day for Indian wrestling. Kudos to Sakshi Malik for doing India proud!!
03:03 hrs IST: So finally India have their medal and it's courtesy Sakshi Malik. What a historic moment for women's wrestlers in India! Hopefully, Babita Kumari will bag another one tomorrow.
02:56 hrs IST: What a turnaround by the Indian in the final minute. She was trailing by 5 points but showed great grit and determination to make a sterling comeback. Trailing by a point with just a few seconds left she tied the scores at 5-5 and then went on to clinch two more points just before the buzzer rang to give India their first medal of the 2016 Rio Games. ÂÂ
02:50 hrs IST: Buzzer goes!! Bronze for India. Sakshi has done it!!
02:50 hrs IST: Sakshi has taken a 7-5 lead.
02:49 hrs IST: Sakshi levels the scores and it's 5-5.
02:47 hrs IST: Four points for Sakshi. She just trails by one point.
02:46 hrs IST: Now, two minutes left for Sakshi
02:45 hrs IST: Buzzer goes! Aisuluu leads 5-0 at the break. Sakshi has three minutes left to make a comeback.
02:44 hrs IST: Great attack by the Kyrgyzstani wrestler she has taken a 5-0 lead. Sakshi is under pressure now.
02:43 hrs IST: Sakshi trails by one point.
02:41 hrs IST: Great defence by Sakshi.
02:40 hrs IST: Here we go as live action begins!!
02:39 hrs IST: Up next is Sakshi Malik. Can she end India's medal drought at the 2016 Games?
02:36 hrs IST: The buzzer goes and the first bronze in women's 58kg freestyle goes to Tunisia's Marwa Amri
02:35 hrs IST: Twist in the tale as the Tunisian leads 6-3
02:33 hrs IST: One point for the Tunisian. Yulia still leads 3-1 with under 30 seconds left.
02:32 hrs IST: Yulia is leading 3-0 with under two minutes left.
02:30 hrs IST: Currently, the bronze medal match between Yulia and Marwa is going on. Sakshi's bout will take place after this.
02:21 hrs IST: Azerbaijan's Yuliya Ratkevich will take on Marwa Amri of Tunisia in the other bronze medal match in 58kg freestyle
02:17 hrs IST: Aisuluu had lost in the semifinals to Japan's Kaori Icho thus directly qualifying for the bronze medal match.
02:15 hrs IST: Sakshi's bronze medal bout is now just 15 minutes away.
01:16 hrs IST: Sakshi will now take on Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan for the bronze medal. The bout will take place at 2:30 am.
01:13 hrs IST: Sakshi gets two more points and it's all over! She wins 12-3 and will now fight for bronze. No Indian female wrestler has ever won an Olympic medal. History beckons Sakshi!
01:12 hrs IST: Sakshi rolls over her opponent to take a 10-7 lead. Just brilliant from the Indian.
01:10 hrs IST: Sakshi has taken a 6-3 lead. She showed some brilliant strength there.
01:08 hrs IST: Sakshi takes a 4-2 lead by putting her opponent on the mat.
01:07 hrs IST: The buzzer goes for the break. It's 2-2 and anyone's bout still.
01:06 hrs IST: The Mogolian gets two points for putting Sakshi on the mat.
01:05 hrs IST: The Mongolian has a body weight advantage over the Indian wrestler
01:04 hrs IST: Sakshi gets the first two points. She is in the lead
01:03 hrs IST: Here comes Sakshi for her repechage bout.
00:50 hrs IST: We are minutes away from the start of Sakshi's bout. Remember, she has to win this bout to reach the bronze medal match.
00:35 hrs IST: Sakshi Malik's opponent for the repechage Round 2 bout 2 has been decided, she will face Mongolia's Orkhon Purevdorj next. A victory here will see her contend for the bronze medal.
Purevdorj beat Germany's Luisa Helga Gerda Niemesch in repechage Round 1.
23:41 hrs IST: In repechage Round 2, Sakshi will face the winner of the bout between Germany's Luisa Helga Gerda Niemesch and Mongolia's Orkhon Purevdorj. She has to win this bout to go into the bronze medal match.
22:20 hrs IST: If Sakshi does manage to win the Round 2 bout, she will fight Aisuluu Tynybekova for the bronze medal. The Kyrgyzstani wrestler had lost in the semifinal to Zholobova and went straight to the bronze medal match.
22:15 hrs IST: So the good news is that wrestler Sakshi Malik enters repechage Round 2 of freestyle 58kg after Zholobova reached the final. Sakshi needs to win two bouts to claim bronze. Her repechage bout is slated post 12:30 am. We will keep you updated who her opponent will be.ÂÂ
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22:01 hrs IST: Wow! Koblova through to the finals. Sakshi is through to the repechage.ÂÂ
21:58 hrs IST: Koblova is leading 4-0. Good news for Sakshi!ÂÂ
21:50 hrs IST: Koblova's semi-final match has started.ÂÂ
21:22 hrs IST: Sakshi Malik is still in contention for a bronze medal, provided Koblova enters the final.ÂÂ
21:16 hrs IST: Sakshi loses to Kobolova 9-2 in quarters.ÂÂ
21:14 hrs IST: And it's too late for Sakshi now. Koblova is 7-2 up.ÂÂ
21:09 hrs IST: Sakshi trails 1-0. But she has the tendency to bounce back in the later stages of the game.ÂÂ
21:06 hrs IST: And here we go.ÂÂ
20:52 hrs IST: Sakshi Malik will be up against Valeriia Koblova in the Women's 58kg Wrestling shortly.ÂÂ
20:42 hrs IST: Vinesh has hurt her knee. She has been taken off on a stretcher and it seems to be a very serious injury.ÂÂ
20:36 hrs IST: Sun Yanan is 2-1 ahead now.ÂÂ
20:30 hrs IST: Vinesh's match is up next!ÂÂ
20:19 hrs IST: It's 5-5 but Sakshi wins because of her four-point manoeuvre. She is through to the quarters now.ÂÂ
20:15 hrs IST: Cherdivara has the advantage now. She leads 3-0.ÂÂ
20:12 hrs IST: And Sakshi's match is just seconds away from getting started.ÂÂ
20:00 hrs IST: The match preceding Sakshi's fight has just started.ÂÂ
19:53 hrs IST: For our viewers - If Vinesh wins her quarter-final round, she'll be in the race for a medal.ÂÂ
19:48 hrs IST: Sakshi's bout gets underway in less than 10 minutes.ÂÂ
19:41 hrs IST: India's campaign in men's singles (of badminton) ends. Srikanth loses in the quarters.ÂÂ
19:25 hrs IST: Sakshi will be in live action at 19:50 (local) and Vinesh at 20:06 (local).ÂÂ
19:16 hrs IST: And that's an exceptional performance from Vinesh. She was in complete control throughout the game. She wins 11-0.ÂÂ
19:13 hrs IST: It's the end of first half and Vinesh leads 6-0.ÂÂ
19:10 hrs IST: Excellent from Vinesh. She is 4-0 up now.ÂÂ
19:08 hrs IST: Seems like Vinesh has twisted her right elbow.ÂÂ
19:06 hrs IST: And here we go.ÂÂ
19:02 hrs IST: Vinesh's opponent Alina Emilia Vuc won a bronze medal in the European Championships in Riga earlier this year.ÂÂ
18:55 hrs IST: Vinesh's match starts in 10 minutes from now. She'll be starting in the Round of 16 after receiving a Bye in the first round.ÂÂ
18:48 hrs IST: What a comeback from Sakshi! From 0-4 down, she won the match 5-4. She'll now face Mariana Cherdivara of Modova in Round of 16.ÂÂ
18:45 hrs IST: It's the end of the first half and Johanna has been brilliant so far. Pressure on Sakshi now.ÂÂ
18:44 hrs IST: And Johanna scores two more points. It's 4-0.ÂÂ
18:42 hrs IST: Two early points for Johanna.ÂÂ
18:40 hrs IST: We are underway!ÂÂ
18:34 hrs IST: Superb performance by Srikanth in the second game. Pressure on Dan now.ÂÂ
18:30 hrs IST: Less than 10 minutes to go for the first bout.ÂÂ
18:12 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has lost first set to defending champion Lin Dan in the quarter-finals. Catch all the live updates hereÂÂ
18:06 hrs IST: Sakshi Malik's bout is first up and it will begin at 18:38 hrs (local).ÂÂ
18:05 hrs IST: Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the women's wrestling event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.ÂÂ
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Vinesh Phogat will take on Emila Alina Vuc of Romania in the women's 48 kg freestyle wrestling category while Sakshi Malik will face Sweden's Johanna Mattsson in the women's 58 kg freestyle category. Wrestling action starts at Carioca Arena at 6:30 PM IST
Sakshi will be first in the ring. She will face a stiff challenge against two-time European Championships gold medallist Johanna. Sakshi will look to qualify for the next round first.
Vinesh Phogat, who won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is seen as a strong medal contender at 2016 Rio Olympics. The youngest wrestler ever to qualify from India, Vinesh won silver at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2015.
The spirited 21-year-old Vinesh has expressed full confidence ahead of her Olympic debut. She has made it clear that she'll settle for nothing less than a gold medal in Rio. She will start from the 1/8 finals round .
"I'm in Rio thinking of the gold and nothing else. No disrespect to anyone but I consider myself the best in my weight category," said a confident Vinesh.