Prediction: Can Vinesh Phogat win a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024?

Vinesh Phogat has been part of Indian wrestling for a long time, but finally, a time has come when she is a contender for the podium finish in Paris Olympics 2024. With experience and good form leading up to the Games, she is expected to fetch a medal for the country.

Phogat, who comes from a family of wrestlers, has been in the headlines for her wins in the wrestling arena and for standing up for moral principles in front of the authorities. She carries the wrestling acumen of her father - Mahavir Singh Phogat and her current coach Woller Akos.

Paris Olympics 2024 will be her third appearance on the big stage but a lot has changed from her last appearance in Tokyo.

At the Rio Olympics 2016, which was her first appearance, Phogat reached the quarter-finals but lost to Sun Yanan of China because of a career-threatening knee injury. It was an anterior cruciate ligament tear that kept her away from action for some time.

She made her comeback during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and won a gold medal for India in 50kg freestyle wrestling. Her medal reign continued in the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships and 2019 Yasar Dogu International where she won gold and bronze medal, respectively.

In 2021, Vinesh Phogat beat Vanesa Kaladzinskaya to win the gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament. Furthermore, after clinching a yellow metal at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event, she reached the World No. 1 rank again.

In the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Phogat was part of the 53kg division but faced a defeat in the quarter-finals against Belarusia's Kaladzinskaya.

After the 2020 Olympics, she was also suspended because of her internal clashes with the Wrestling Federation of India.

Her golden period post-Tokyo disaster started in 2022. Vinesh Phogat was part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in the 53kg division and she won a gold medal in the tournament. In the same year. She also won the BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year award.

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Vinesh Phogat kicks off Paris 2024 campaign against top-seed Yui Susaki

Vinesh Phogat is high on morale as she defeated Yusneylis Guzman in the Grand Prix of Spain and won a gold medal before leaving for Paris. However, it won't be an easy task to reach the podium at the Olympics 2024 as she will have multiple rivals on the way.

In her opening match at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, Vinesh Phogat faces a formidable challenge. Her opponent, Yui Susaki of Japan, is a dominant force in the women’s Freestyle 50kg category.

Susaki holds an impressive record, having claimed multiple world titles, including victories at the U23 and Senior World Championships.

Known for her unbeaten streak in international competition, Susaki secured the Tokyo 2020 title without conceding a single point. As the top seed and reigning champion, she enters Paris as the favorite for another gold medal, backed by her consistent performance and unmatched prowess on the mat.