Tokyo, Aug 3
Young Indian wrestler Sonam Malik lost her opening bout on criteria to Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the women’s 62kg category here on Tuesday and will now have to wait and see if she gets a repechage round on her Olympic debut. The 19-year-old led the bout 2-0 after scoring two push-out points but the Asian silver medallist Khurelkhuu effected a take-down move with just 35 seconds left in the contest to level the score.The score remained 2-2 till the end but since it was the Mongolian who scored the last point with her move, she was declared winner on criteria.There was hardly any action during a major part of the bout. No move was made till one and a half minute with the two wrestlers measuring each other from standing position.The Mongolian was put on activity clock but Sonam scored a push-out point to take a 1-0 lead and kept that till the end of the first three-minute period.Another push out took her 2-0 in front. Sonam did not let the Mongolian make any move for a major part but Khurelkhuu managed to get hold of the Indian’s leg and got the decisive take-down .Sonam, a two-time Cadet World Champion (2017, 2019), had qualified for the Tokyo Games by making the final at the Asian Qualifier in April in Almaty.Khurelkhuu being an experienced contender knew when to get the decisive move.If the Mongolian makes the final, Sonam will get a repechage round to be in contention for bronze medal. wrestler Sonam Malik was on Monday placed in the challenging bottom half of the women’s 62kg draw, where she will open her Olympics campaign against Asian silver medallist Bolortuya Khurelkhuu from Mongolia.The 19-year-old will be the sole Indian wrestler in action on Tuesday.Relatively new to the big stage, every single bout will be a test of character for Sonam, who qualified for the Tokyo Games by making the final at the Asian Qualifier in April in Almaty. Khurelkhuu is more experienced than Sonam and has stood on the podium on both the occasions she took the mat this season but the Indian is not intimidated.Sonam came into Olympics after recovering from a right knee injury that did not let her fly to Russia for training in build-up to the Games.”I am fine. There is no pain in my knee. It’s neither tough nor easy draw for me,” Sonam, who earned a name for herself by defeating Rio bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik four times, told PTI after the draw ceremony.If Sonam manges to cross the first hurdle, she will most likely find 2018 world champion Taybe Mustafa Yusein from Bulgaria in the quarterfinals. “It does not matter what the draw is. Sonam is not taking any pressure. She was even ready to take on Japan (Yukako Kawai). So, she will do well,” said her personal coach Ajmer Malik.Kawai is 2019 World Championship bronze winner and if at all she clashes with Sonam, it will be a bottom-half semifinal.The draw is such that the repechage route may open up for Sonam if she does not go deep on her own.
