Indian wrestler Anshu Malik on Thursday scripted history emerging as the country’s first-ever women wrestler to bag silver in World Wrestling Championship (WWC). Losing the 57 kgs final clash against 2016 Olympic champion USA’s Helen Louise Maroulis, Anshu bagged the silver chip. Anshu led 1-0 at the breather but the bout changed in dramatic fashion in the second half. Maroulis got Anshu in her arm grip and pulled her down to complete a take-down move to take a 2-1 lead.
Coming into the match after becoming India’s first-ever woman finalist at the World Championship, the 19-year old Anshu began in an aggressive fashion with positive intent but eventually lost the summit clash after being pinned.
Ahead of the finals on Thursday, the Indian wrestler had squashed Junior European champion Solomiia Vynnyk to secure India its first medal from this season. During the pre-quarters, Anshu outplayed Kazakhstan’s Nilufar Raimova with 4-1 owing to her technical superiority. She made her way to the semi-finals defeating Mongolia’s Davaachimeg Erkhembayar 5-1.
Apart from Anshu, Wrestler Sarita Mor also scripted history as she clinched a bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships on Thursday. Indian grappler Sarita defeated Sweden’s Sara Lindborg 8-2 to clinch the bronze medal in the women’s 59kg. Indian women have now bettered their best ever show at the worlds as winning two bronze in 2012 through the Phogat sisters was the country’s best show.