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Two-time National champion Meenakshi Goyat came back from the brink to beat South Korea's Seoyoung Park to reach the final of the women's 53kg category while Hansika Lamba (55kg) added another bronze medal to India's tally at the 2026 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday.
Meenakshi, who had booked her spot in the Indian team for the continental championships by beating two-time world championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal, was trailing 0-2 till the last 30 seconds against the Korean. However, the 25-year-old surprised her opponent with a four-point throw and then defended her position to reach the final, according to a press release. The former Asian U-23 champion will now face China's Jin Zhang, who defeated Japan's Moe Kiyooka by fall. Later, Hansika Lamba (55kg) and Neha (59kg) added two bronze medals to India's tally after the men's Greco-Roman wrestlers had bagged two silver and three bronze on the first three days of competition. In the women's 55kg bronze medal bout, Hansika was cautious in the first round against Kyrgyzstan's Aruuke Kadyrbek Kyzy. The 19-year-old Indian then opened her account with a take-down in the first minute of the second round with a leg attack. She then pressed for the advantage and won the bout 6-1. Neha then added the seventh medal to India's tally when she registered a dominating 10-4 win over Mongolia's Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the women's 59kg bronze medal play-off. Meanwhile, Harshita (72kg) and Monika (65kg) will aim for a bronze medal on Friday. Harshita went down 2-7 against 2024 Asian Championships gold medallist Mahiro Yoshitake of Japan in the women's 72kg semi-final and will now face Sevinchoy Polvonova of Uzbekistan for the bronze medal. In the women's 65kg category, Monika had lost to eventual finalist Nana Ikehata of Japan in the quarter-finals. She will now face losing semi-finalist Hanbit Lee of South Korea in the bronze medal bout. Minakshi (57kg) and Mansi (62kg) will also have a chance to win a medal after making it to the Repechage round, after the wrestlers lost to reach the finals of their respective weight categories. In the Repechage round, Minakshi will face Kyrgyzstan's Tancholpon Kybalbekova, and Mansi will take on Mongolia's Tserenchimed Sukhee on Friday. (ANI)
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