Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India: Bajrang Punia

New Delhi: Tokyo Games bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia on Tuesday described fellow grappler Vinesh Phogat as the “lioness of India” after she entered her maiden Olympic semifinals after notching up stunning victories in Paris.

The 29-year-old Vinesh stunned defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan and higher-ranked Ukrainian Oksana Livach to cruise to the women’s 50kg semifinals on Tuesday.

“Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India who won back to back matches today. Defeated 4-time World Champion and defending Olympic champion. After that he defeated the former World Champion in the quarterfinals,” Punia wrote on his ‘X’ handle.

Punia, Vinesh and Sakshi Malik had led a long sit-in protest in Delhi early last year against alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers by former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

“But let me tell you one thing. This girl was kicked and crushed in her own country This girl was dragged on the streets in her country. This girl is going to conquer the world but she lost to the system in this country.”

Vinesh defeated Livach, a former European champion and 2018 world championship bronze-medallist, 7-5 in a hard-fought quarterfinal bout to get closer to an elusive Olympic medal in her third attempt.

This was after she caused the biggest wrestling upset in the ongoing Games when she shocked four-time world champion and reigning gold-medallist Yui Susaki of Japan on points in the pre-quarterfinals.

Later in the evening, Vinesh will be up against Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the last-four stage. A win will assure her of at least a silver while a loss will take her into the bronze medal playoff.
Vinesh had failed to win a medal in her two previous Olympic appearances. She has won two bronze medals in 53kg in World Championships in 2019 and 2022.