Reetika Hooda overcomes Bernadett Nagy in 76kg Freestyle event
India’s final hopes for a medal at the Paris Olympics remain alive after wrestler Reetika Hooda defeated Hungary’s Bernadett Nagy in the Women’s 76kg Freestyle event to go to the quarterfinals on Saturday.
In a 12-2 victory for Reetika, the Indian used quick footwork and timed bursts of aggression to dispatch Nagy.
The bout began with both wrestlers playing defensively until Nagy made the opening move, lunging at Reetika’s legs for a takedown, but was unsuccessful.
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The Indian continued to play it safe until she was smacked with a 30-second hit time, at which point Reetika moved in for the kill, toppling the Hungarian Nagy to the mat and scoring four points in one go.
Nagy, visibly worried, attempted to respond and snatch a few points of her own, but Reetika’s quick footwork meant that the Hungarian could not get near her, and she went into the half-time break with a lead intact.
When the bout resumed, both wrestlers engaged in an extended grapplefest, with many takedowns on both sides, with the Indian leading 6-2 with two minutes to go.
Nagy was just no match for the extremely skilled Reetika, who took the Hungarian down at will to extend her advantage to a comfortable 8 points with less than a minute remaining.
Despite the Hungarian’s best attempts, Reetika proved to be too much to handle, as the Indian scored another two points to utterly smash Nagy with technical dominance, and the battle concluded 12-2.
