Vinesh Phogat shocked Olympic champion Yui Susaki and defeated Ukraine’s Oksana Livach, advancing to the semifinals of the women's 50kg category in wrestling. Concurrently, Neeraj Chopra secured his place in the men's javelin final with a huge throw of 89.34 metres.
Carrying the hopes of an entire nation, Neeraj Chopra commenced his title defense with a colossal throw during the qualification round of the men's javelin event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Leading Group B, Chopra set a personal best with his first attempt reaching 89.34 metres, ensuring his spot in the finals.
Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion, arrived in Paris with a season-best throw of 88.36 metres from the Doha Diamond League. He previously set the national record with a throw of 89.94 metres at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. Since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra has consistently thrown beyond the 85-metre mark.
In Group A, India's Kishore Jena competed alongside Chopra in Group B. Jena secured his qualification for Paris with a throw of 87.54 metres at the Asian Games last year. However, he has struggled to cross the 87-metre mark since then. He did not make the cut for the finals.
Among Chopra’s top competitors are Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch, Germany's Julian Weber, former world champion Anderson Peters, and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem.
Vinesh Phogat Stuns Wrestling World
In the women's freestyle 50kg category, Vinesh Phogat made a stunning entry into the quarterfinals by defeating top seed Yui Susaki of Japan. The reigning Olympic champion Susaki was favoured to win and led 1-0 after the first period, but Phogat mounted a dramatic comeback to win 3-2. Susaki, who had been unbeaten for five years, is known as one of the most dominant wrestlers.
Phogat started defensively against her 25-year-old opponent, who has won three world championship gold medals in the 50kg category. Early in the first period, Phogat received a warning for passivity, allowing Susaki to earn a point. Despite Susaki's attempts to attack Phogat’s leg, both wrestlers struggled to score further points.
In the final moments of the match, Phogat turned the tide by pinning down Susaki and securing two points, followed by an additional point, clinching her victory.
Phogat then followed up her Round of 16 performance with another closely fought bout with Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in quarterfinals, where she defeated the latter with a small margin of 7-5.
