New Delhi: Ace India wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her second gold medal in two weeks by storming to the 53kg title at the Matteo Pelicone Rankings Series in Rome. Vinesh, 26, beat Canada's Diana Weicker 4-0 and has thus won gold without dropping a point throughout the tournament.
This is the Asian Games champion's second gold medal in two weeks, having earlier won the 53kg title in the Outstanding Ukrainian wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament in Kiev, Ukraine. The tournament in Kiev was Vinesh's first in over a year.
Vinesh had to wrestle only twice in her first four bouts as she got walkovers in two on Saturday. She won the other two bouts by fall and managed to go on and win the title without dropping a point but Vinesh said that she wanted to attack more.
"I am not satisfied with this performance at all. I won but I want to attack more. I want my score to be more than 4-0. While my mind knows that but my body is not allowing me to do it," she told United World Wrestling.
Vinesh first pinned compatriot Nandini Salokhe on Saturday before beating Canada's Samantha Stewart. Nandini went on to lose to Stewart in the 53kg bronze medal bout.
Vinesh had earlier qualified for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics by winning bronze at the 2019 World Championships. The Olympics, which was scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9, 2020, was postponed by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will now be held from July 23 to August 8 this year.