Olympics-bound wrestler Vinesh Phogat storms into the final at Grand Prix of Spain
Vinesh, who had reached Madrid after making a last-minute appeal to get her Spanish Visa which was delayed and got it only a few hours before her departure, easily won three bouts in the Women's 50kg category to storm into the final.
She will meet Mariia Tiumerekova, a former Russian wrestler who is now representing the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN).
Vinesh, who participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games in the women's 53kg, started the day with a Round 1 win against Yusneylis Guzman, a Pan-American and Central American championships winner from Cuba. Vinesh got the better of the Cuban wrestler 12-4 on points.
In the quarterfinals, the 29-year-old from Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, pinned Madison Parks of Canada, a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In the semifinals, Vinesh defeated another Canadian Katie Dutchak 9-4 to seal a place in the final.
After the Grand Prix of Spain, Vinesh will attend a camp in Spain and reach France well before the Paris Olympic Games, which will start on July 26.
