The 29-year-old secured a hard-fought 7-5 victory over Livach, moving one step closer to winning an Olympic medal in her third attempt.
Earlier today in a dramatic turn of events, top Indian grappler Vinesh Phogat defeated Japan’s Yui Susaki, the reigning gold-medallist and four-time world champion, on points to advance to the quarter-final of the 50kg category at the Olympic Games on Tuesday.
Despite being behind 0-2 after receiving penalty points for passivity, the Indian wrestler staged a remarkable comeback in the final five seconds, securing a takedown and earning three points to emerge victorious with a score of 3-2.
Vinesh had taken a significant break from the sport last year to lead a protest against the former head of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan, whom she accused of sexual misconduct.
In her two previous Olympic appearances, Vinesh had not managed to secure a medal.
During the match, Vinesh initially adopted a cautious approach, occasionally attempting to unsettle Susaki by pushing back on her head. At the end of the first round, she lost a point due to passivity and narrowly avoided losing her footing, which could have resulted in a 0-3 score. However, she successfully defended herself.
Surprisingly, Vinesh did not alter her strategy in the second round and found herself trailing 0-2 after conceding another passivity point to Susaki, who is considered one of the greatest wrestlers in this weight class.
Just as it appeared that Vinesh’s chances were slipping away, she executed a last-minute inspirational takedown, pushing Susaki out of the mat and pinning her on her back to earn two points.
Vinesh was emotional as he sprinted towards her corner and hugged her coach Woller Akos and then let out an emotional war cry.
The Japanese team challenged the decision, but when it was overturned, Vinesh was awarded an additional point, resulting in a final score of 3-2 in her favour.