Paris: Veteran Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat defeated Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the last eight round of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday to advance to her first-ever Olympic semifinal in the 50kg division.
In a fierce battle, the 29-year-old Vinesh overcame Livach 7–5 to move one step closer to the coveted Olympic medal on her third try.
This came after she stunned the defending gold medallist and four-time world champion Yui Susaki of Japan on points to advance to the quarterfinals, causing the biggest wrestling upset of the games, PTI reported.
Trailing 0-2 after conceding penalty points for passivity, the Indian wrestler came back brilliantly in the last five seconds to take down the top seed by clinching three points to win 3-2.
Vinesh had failed to win a medal in her two previous Olympic appearances.