Daijiworld Media Network - Budapest

Budapest, Jul 20: Indian women continued their stellar run in global wrestling as they bagged a silver and a bronze medal at the ongoing 4th Ranking Series – Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.

Young wrestler Priya Malik stood out in the 76 kg category, clinching the silver medal after a series of commanding performances. The former World U20 Champion received a bye in the opening round and went on to defeat Almira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan 7-2, followed by an impressive 11-1 technical superiority win over Valeriia (UWW) in the semifinal. However, she fell short in the final against Brazil's Martins Machado in a closely fought 4-3 bout.

Asian Champion Manisha added to India’s tally with a bronze in the 62 kg category. Despite a quarterfinal loss to Amina Tandelova, she bounced back strong in the repechage rounds. She defeated France’s Ameline Douarre and Krystsina Sazykina in successive bouts, both by fall, to claim a well-earned podium finish.

While the women’s contingent impressed, Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers had a quiet day, failing to make it to any medal bouts. However, matches in the remaining categories are set to continue on Sunday, keeping medal hopes alive.

India’s women wrestlers have been a dominant force throughout the Budapest Ranking Series. On Friday, they clinched four medals, including two golds. Olympian Antim Panghal and Harshita were the stars, winning their respective weight categories. Antim outclassed Russia's Natalia Malysheva 7-4 in the 53 kg final, adding another international gold to her name after her Ulaanbaatar Open win earlier this year.