Young Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda goes down fighting in Olympic quarterfinal bout

New Delhi: Young Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda displayed power and skill in equal measure but unfortunately went down fighting against top-seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in women’s 76 kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics. The bout ended at 1-1 after Reetika took the initial lead against the top seed but since Kyzy scored the last point, she was declared the winner as per the rules.

Reetika to give her shot at repechage round

Both wrestlers played a defensive game and the solitary point each was scored through passivity across the two periods. Reetika will now wait for Kyzy to enter the final which will give her a shot at competing in the repechage round. If she doesn’t then India’s Paris Games campaign will end with six medals and without a gold.

Women’s Freestyle 76 kg Quarter-finals👇🏻

India’s 🇮🇳 star wrestler 🤼‍♀ Reetika Hooda put up a valiant effort before losing to World No. 1 Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 by points(1-1).

Well tried Reetika! Let’s cheer for her brave performance and #Cheer4Bharat🇮🇳… pic.twitter.com/GfNaZMXjSW

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 10, 2024

Earlier on Saturday, Reetika overpowered Bernadett Nagy of Hungary to enter the quarter-final of the women’s 76 kg freestyle event at Paris Games. The referee stopped the contest with 29 seconds left in the second round as Reetika gained a 10-point lead with the final score reading 12-2 in favour of the Indian. The burly Reetika gained upper-hand with 4-0 lead in the first round after getting an early leg-hold followed by a flip. The Indian wrestler made it to the quarters on basis of technical superiority.

Reetika first Indian to qualify for heavyweight

Reetika is the first Indian to qualify for the heavyweight class of 76kg. She had previously contested in the 72kg weight category before moving up last year. The training regimen for the same has been a challenge for Reetika. Her original body weight is at 74-75kg but bringing it to 78kg is a big task for the 21-year-old. She fought both the battles bravely on August 10 but unfortunately missed out against the top seed at the quarters.

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 Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda lost the quarterfinal women’s 76 kg freestyle bout at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Saturday.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today