Sakshi, Vinesh, Anshu qualify for CWG
LUCKNOW: Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik had thoughts of quitting wrestling on Monday if she failed to qualify for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, scheduled from July 25 to August 8, in the national trials. Any retirement plans will be put on hold. A medallist in the last two editions in 2014 and 2018, Sakshi broke into tears of joy after scoring a thrilling 8-4 win over an aggressive Manisha in the 62kg final to seal her spot in the trials held at the Sports Authority of India here.
Jakarta Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat, re-building after her Tokyo Olympics flop, struggled before defeating world cadet championships bronze medallist Antim on points, after the scores were 3-3 in the 53kg final bout.
A victorious Sakshi ran to her mother seated in the hall and fell on her lap weeping. It showed how desperate Sakshi, who has won 12 international medals, was to show she was still up there. “I couldn’t hold back my emotion, so I cried,” she said.
“Yes, for sure, I could have quit wrestling today itself if I had not qualified. This was my last attempt to stay in the reckoning. I’m thankful to God who helped me qualify for my third successive CWG,” said Sakshi, who was out of the Indian team for two years after losing to young Sonam Malik thrice in the trials.
“I knew the importance of this effort. I left nothing to chance to make it happen this time. Put in a lot of effort in the camp, didn’t miss a single training session,” the 29-year-old said.
Sakshi got six vital points in the first minute of second half with a fine throw after scoring just one point in the first half of the six-minute bout. She said she was focused on her game plan even before beating Sanju Devi with ease in her opening bout. In the semi-final, she defended well against a leg-hold by key rival Sonam while taking a 1-0 lead at the break. Thereafter, she didn’t look back, racing to 5-1 and then 8-1 to win in style. “It’s a fresh beginning for Sakshi and I would love to complete my hat-trick of medals at the CWG. There is more to do after this. Now, I will aim for an India berth in the world championships as well as the Asian Games,” said Sakshi.
Pooja Gehlot (50 Kg), Anshu Malik (57 Kg), Divya Kakran (68 Kg) and Pooja (76 Kg) too qualified. Vinesh had to work hard. Trailing 0-2 at halfway, the double CWG medallist couldn’t make an impression in the first two minutes of the second half as she trailed 3-0. But a throw seconds before the hooter helped her level. Thereafter, it was a formality for the seasoned wrestler.