Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda won her match on Saturday to advance to the quarter-finals of the women’s 76 kg freestyle event. She defeated Bernadett Nagy from Hungary and is now closer to achieving her dream of making a mark at the Paris Olympics. Next, Hooda will face top-seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy from Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinals.
#ParisOlympics2024 | Women’s Freestyle 76 kg Round of 16 | Reetika Hooda beats Hungary’s Nagy Bernadett 12-2 by technical superiority to advance to the quarterfinals.
(Souce: SAI) pic.twitter.com/F7iYUZsPqh
— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2024
In her Paris Olympics debut, Hooda won decisively with a score of 12-2 against Bernadett Nagy, who is a two-time European Championships medallist. The match was stopped by the referee with 29 seconds remaining in the second round after Hooda gained a 10-point lead. She led 4-0 after the first round and continued her dominance in the second round with a series of two-point moves.
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If Hooda wins a medal, it will match India’s medal tally from the Tokyo Olympics.
In July, Hooda mentioned that she wants to make sure people remember her name after these Olympics. Despite being considered an underdog compared to well-known wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Anshu Malik, and Antim Panghal, Hooda is now the main hope for India in wrestling after Phogat’s disqualification and Panghal’s ban.
On Friday, Aman Sehrawat became India’s youngest Olympic medallist by winning bronze in the 57kg freestyle category, just a month after turning 21. Sehrawat secured his medal with a 13-5 victory over Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz in a thrilling third-place match.