When was the last time an Indian female wrestler won a medal at the Olympics?

Vinesh Phogat has made history by becoming the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final. She secured a place in the final of the women's 50kg wrestling event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, guaranteeing herself a medal. The last time India won an Olympic medal in women's wrestling was in 2016 when Sakshi Malik clinched a bronze at the Rio Olympics.

Entering the Olympics as a relatively unknown contender in the 58kg category, Indian female wrestler Sakshi's performance surprised many. Her campaign started with a closely fought match against Sweden's Johanna Mattsson, which she won 5-4. In the pre-quarterfinals, Sakshi faced Moldova's Mariana Cherdivara. The match ended in a 5-5 draw, but Sakshi advanced on criteria.

The quarterfinals presented a formidable challenge in the form of Russia's Valeria Koblova, the eventual silver medalist. Despite a valiant effort, Sakshi lost 2-9. Nevertheless, Koblova's progress to the final gave Sakshi another chance through the repechage rounds.

In the repechage, Sakshi dominated Mongolia's Purevdorjiin Orkhon with a convincing 12-3 victory, securing her a spot in the bronze medal match against Asian champion Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan.

The match initially seemed bleak for Sakshi as Tynybekova raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening round. However, Sakshi leveled the score at 5-5. In the final seconds of the match, she managed to expose Tynybekova with a spectacular move, securing the bronze medal with an 8-5 victory, the first for any Indian female wrestler.

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Vinesh Phogat's path to becoming the first Indian female wrestler to reach the Olympic final

Vinesh's path to the Paris Olympics was fraught with challenges. At both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she was seen as a strong medal contender. However, her 2016 campaign was abruptly ended due to a severe injury, and she narrowly missed out on a medal in Tokyo while struggling with another injury.

Additionally, her preparation for the Paris Olympics was disrupted by her involvement in the wrestlers' protest and a subsequent ACL injury that forced her to miss the 2023 Asian Games.

Vinesh began her day with a sensational 3-2 victory over Japan's Yui Susaki, a wrestler who had been considered unbeatable. Susaki, the defending champion, had not conceded a single point during her Tokyo 2020 Gold medal campaign. Despite the formidable challenge, Vinesh's skill and determination saw her through.

Her subsequent matches further demonstrated her dominance. Vinesh won her quarterfinal match with confidence and then overpowered Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman in the semifinals, securing a 5-0 victory. Vinesh Phogat is now poised to become the first Indian female wrestler to win either a silver or gold medal at the Olympics.