Indian wrestlers Anshu, Antim win silver at Budapest Ranking Series 2024

Indian wrestlers Anshu Malik and Antim Panghal won silver in the women’s 53kg and 57kg categories, respectively in the second Ranking Series in Budapest on Friday.

Both grapplers will be a part of the Indian contingent for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

While Anshu lost 1-12 to Hong Kexin of China, Antim faced a 0-4 defeat against Swede Jonna Malmgren.

A World championships bronze medallist, Antim beat Uzbekistan’s Sakbjamal Esbosynova 10-0 and Poland’s Katarzyna Krawczyk, a 2021 Worlds bronze medallist, 3-1 to enter the final.

Anshu, a 2021 Worlds silver medallist, defeated Moldova’s Worlds silver medallist Anastasia Nichita 6-5 and 59kg World and Asian champion Qi Zhang of China 2-1 to set a final date.

Vinesh Phogat got past Colombia’s Alisson Cardozo Rey 10-0 in the women’s 50kg category before losing 5-0 to China’s Asian Games bronze medallist Jiang Zhu. Zhu’s exit in the next round ended the scope of Vinesh’s second shot at a medal.

Earlier, Olympic qualified wrestler Aman Sehrawat (freestyle 57kg) took the silver medal.

Sehrawat, who beat Georgia’s Roberti Dingashvili 11-1 and individual neutral athlete Aryan Tsiutryn 14-4 to reach the final, lost to Japan’s World championships silver medallist Rei Higuchi 11-1 in the title clash.