Commonwealth Games 2022: Pooja Sihag claims bronze medal in wrestling

The Indian wrestling contingent continued their medal rush on Saturday once again, as Pooja Sihag won the bronze medal in women’s 76kg freestyle wrestling by defeating Australia’s Naomi de Bruine by technical superiority (11-0) in the final on Saturday. Her victory also marked the country’s wrestling contingent’s 11th medal at the ongoing mega event, overtaking weightlifting’s record as the most successful discipline.

Pooja Sihag also became the fourth Indian wrestler to win a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, behind Mohit Grewal, Divya Kakran and Pooja Gehlot. She also won India’s fourth wrestling medal on Saturday, after Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Vinesh Phogat and Naveen Kumar.

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The 25-year-old began her Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign impressively when she beat Michelle Montague of New Zealand in a tough bout (3-5), in the quarterfinals. She qualified for the semifinals, however, could not replicate her earlier performance as she was beaten 6-0 by Canadian wrestler Justina di Stasio. This forced her to advance to the bronze medal match, where she reigned supreme by defeating Naomi de Bruine in technical superiority.

Pooja Sihag was one of India’s medal hopefuls at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham and she did not disappoint by clinching the bronze medal. It was also her first medal at the Commonwealth Games, however, she has won medals at the Asian U23 Championships and Asian Championships before in her career. She will now focus on developing her skills further, with the 2024 Paris Olympics in mind.

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Her victory marked India’s 27th medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022, also wrestling’s 11th medal at the mega event. However, since her victory, two more Indian wrestlers collected bronze medals, taking India’s tally to 29 medals on the table. The Indian wrestling team has now won 13 medals at the CWG 2022 in Birmingham, more than any other discipline.