OSLO: Anshu Malik won the silver medal at the World wrestling championships in Oslo, Norway on Thursday, thereby etching her name in history books by becoming the first Indian woman to achieve the feat. The 20-year-old put up a strong fight but lost to two-time Olympic medallist Helen Maroulis of the USA in the final.
In an exemplary exhibition of grit and courage, Anshu scripted history at the World wrestling championships despite picking up an ankle injury in the quarterfinals and nursing a previous elbow injury.
As she went past European silver medallist Solomiia Vynnyk of Ukraine in the women's 57kg semifinals on Wednesday, Anshu booked a place for herself in the annals of Indian wrestling. She had gone one step ahead of five other Indian women – Alka Tomar (2006), Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari (2012), Pooja Dhanda (2018) and Vinesh Phogat (2019) – who secured bronze medals in the elite event.
Anshu, a cadet World champion and a junior Worlds silver medallist who graduated to the top level nicely, was the third Indian to reach the final of the World championships after 2010 champion Sushil Kumar and 2018 silver medallist Bajrang Punia. Agencies
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