Priya wins silver, Manisha bronze as Indian women wrestlers continue to shine in Budapest

Budapest (Hungary), July 20 (IANS) Indian women continue to assert their dominance on the global wrestling stage at the ongoing 4th Ranking Series – 'Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial' being held in Budapest, Hungary, winning a silver and bronze medal on Saturday.

In a commendable display of strength and resilience, three Indian women wrestlers made it to the podium, adding more medals to India’s tally. While the gold medal remained elusive this time, the performances of the athletes reflected the growing power of Indian women in the sport.

Silver glory for Priya

Young wrestler Priya Malik demonstrated her exceptional skill and determination in the 76 kg weight category, winning a silver medal. After receiving a bye in the qualification round, she defeated Almira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan by 7-2 points.

Continuing her momentum, the former World U20 Champion overpowered Valeriia (UWW) in the semifinal with technical superiority (11-1) to enter the gold medal bout. However, in the final, facing Brazil’s Martins Machado, Priya seemed a bit overconfident. Despite a close contest, she narrowly lost the bout 4-3, settling for a well-earned Silver Medal.

Asian Champion Manisha added a bronze medal to the tally, emerging from the repechage. India had high expectations from Manisha. After receiving a bye in the qualification round, she was surprisingly defeated in the quarterfinals by Amina Tandelova by technical superiority.

However, as Amina progressed to the final, Manisha earned a spot in the repechage rounds.

Making a strong comeback, she defeated France’s Ameline Douarre by fall. She went on to dominate Krystsina Sazykina in the bronze medal bout, again winning by fall, securing the medal for the country.

Greco-Roman wrestlers yet to deliver

In contrast, Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers had a disappointing outing on Saturday, with no athlete reaching a medal bout. However, competitions in the remaining Greco-Roman weight categories will continue on Sunday, and hopes remain high for a turnaround.

Women's power in Indian wrestling continues to rise, and the performances at the Budapest Ranking Series reaffirm the country’s strong presence on the international mat. They displayed it once again by clinching four medals, including two gold, a silver and a bronze at the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial 2025 tournament on Friday.

Olympian Antim Panghal and Harshita won gold medals after winning their respective weight classes. Antim defeated Russia’s Natalia Malysheva 7-4 in the final of the 53kg category. This marks her second international gold this year following her triumph at the Ulaanbaatar Open in May.

--IANS

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