Asian Wrestling: After Divya Kakran, Sarita, Pinki continue India gold rush

Sarita Mor, in her first Asian event since winning a silver in 2017 in 58 kg, edging out her counterpart in a 3-2 thriller

Indian wrestlers made a strong start to their 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships campaign, winning three gold medals on the third day in New Delhi.  
 

Sarita Mor became the latest wrestler to clinch the gold, defeating Battsetseg Atlantsetseg of Mongolia in the women's 59 kg final at the Asian Championships on Thursday. The unheralded girl from Haryana's Sonepat district, in her first Asian event since winning a silver in 2017 in 58 kg, edged out her counterpart in a 3-2 thriller. 

Sarita won her first two bouts on technical superiority against Madina Bakbergenova (Kazkhstan) and Nazira MarsbekKyzy (Kyrgyzstan) before winning 10-3 against Japan's Yuumi Kon.

Meanwhile, Pinki also took the gold medal, beating Mongolia's Dulguun Bolormaa in the women's 55 kg final at the Asian Championships here on Thursday.

Asian Wrestling Championships: Sarita wins gold medal against Mongolian wrestler Battsetseg Altantsetseg in women's 59kg category. Photo: PTI

Pinki edged out Bolormaa 2-1 in the summit clash at the KD Jadhav Indoor stadium to become the third Indian woman to win gold in tournament's history.

She had defeated Uzbekistan's Shokida Akhmedova by fall in the opening round before losing the next bout against Japan's Kana Higashikawa. However, Pinki won her semifinal bout against Marina Zuyeva 6-0.

Earlier, Divya Kakran also won the gold becoming the second Indian woman to win gold at the competition.

Pinky poses for photographs with her gold medal after winning her bout against Mongolian wrestler Dulguun Bolormaa in women's 55kg category. Photo: PTI

She beat Japanese junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki along the way. Matsuyaki made a strong start to the second period and managed to level the score. However, Divya managed to extract a victory by fall, and clinched the gold in the 68 kg category.

Divya was dominant in the qualification rounds, beating all four of her opponents by fall. She first routed Kazakhstan's Albina Kairgelinova before pinning Mongolian Delgermaa Enkksaikhan.

She then beat Uzbekistan's Azoda Esbergenova with a pin in a bout that lasted no more than 27 seconds. By then, Divya was leading 4-0 at the end of the first period of her bout against Matsuyuki by first effecting a take down and then getting an exposure.

Apart from these three wrestlers, Nirmala Devi (50 kg) has assured herself of at least a silver by qualifying for the final.

Notably, Navjot Kaur became the first Indian woman to win a gold at the Asian Championships when she triumphed in 2018 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in the 65 kg category.