Sonam Malik defeats Sakshi Malik by Pinfall to make Olympic Qualifiers selection

Teenage sensation Sonam Malik yet again proved she is the real deal as she dispatches her opponent Sakshi Malik for the second time but through a pinfall this time around.

The win over the Olympic medalist clears the way for her to make it to the India team for the Olympic qualifiers, which already began on Wednesday.

Sonam, after a poor performance, at previous tournaments [Rome ranking series event and Asian Championships] was given another chance to try again, and she undoubtedly made the best use of it as she destroyed the famous and grounded opponents in the 62kg category of the tournament.

She started by getting past Radhika and had little or no pity for Sarita Moor, who boasts of a gold medal in the 59kg category of the Asian Championships as she raced to 3-1 win in the semifinals before finally defeats  Sakshi Malik who is a bronze medalist in the 2018 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

The impressive Sonam pinned Sakshi in the second round when she fell behind 1-2 with a minute left on the clock.

There were about nine wrestlers in the 62kg trials, which include Pooja Dhanda – a 2008 world Championship Bronze medalist with few from the top weight categories.

The 18-year old current World  Cadet champion is currently undergoing intense training at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Sports institute at Madina under the watchful eyes of her coach Ajmer Malik.

The Asian Qualifiers will begin on the 27th -29th March at Bishkek Kyrgyzstan, which will see the finalist make qualifications for the Tokyo Olympics. 

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi