The Indian wrestling team had a field day at the office as Divya Kakran became the fifth Indian wrestler to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022. The 23-year-old clinched the bronze medal in the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling event at the CWG 2022 on Friday, August 5.
Kakran’s bronze medal means that India has won five medals in wrestling, including three gold medals at the ongoing edition of the Commonwealth Games. Anshu Malik began the haul with a silver medal in the women’s 57kg category, followed by Bajrang Punia (gold), Sakshi Malik (gold) and Deepak Punia (gold). The win also helped India’s total tally to rise to 26 medals, in the fifth position behind Australia, England, Canada and New Zealand.
The 23-year-old is one of the most consistent performers in the national and international circuits. However, she was beaten in the quarterfinals by Nigerian wrestler Blessing Oborodudu, forcing her to go through the repechage round.
Divya defeated Cameroonian wrestler Blandine Nyeh Ngiri with a victory by fall VFA (4-0), which helped her to advance to the bronze medal match. The Indian ace beat Tonga’s Tiger Lily Cocker Lemalie in the bronze medal match by another VFA (2-0), helping India to add another wrestling medal.
The young Indian wrestler trailed by two points in the initial moments of the match. However, she made a counter to a similar move by her opponent to lay her down on the mat and register a VFA win.
Also Read: Commonwealth Games 2022: Bajrang Punia wins gold medal in wrestling
The Indian athlete is one of the most talked about female wrestlers in the country, having won a total of 61 medals on the national and international stages. The bronze medal that she won at the Commonwealth Games, is her second one at the mega event as she won another bronze at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Australia. She has also won multiple medals at the Asian Games, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships in her career.
