Noida: Yui Susaki has moved on from the Paris Olympics shock defeat she was handed by Vinesh Phogat. Phogat, herself, did the same for a brief period. Unable to bear the pain of coming so close to an Olympic medal yet being denied in the most dramatic of circumstances, she quit the sport for a while, entered politics and is now the mother of a baby boy, but the passion for wrestling and an Olympic medal brought her back into the fold recently.
But even as Vinesh builds up to throw herself into the heat of battle and prepare for the Los Angeles Olympics, Susaki has come calling all the way to India for a fight.
Susaki’s famous fight with Vinesh made her the biggest star in the ongoing Pro Wrestling League, snapped up by Haryana Thunders for ₹60 lakh as the costliest buy of the season. She is cheered in the arena before every bout, and she has shown her class.
In a new weight class of 53kg — up from 50kg — Susaki has been more than a handful for her opponents. All four bouts before Wednesday were won by pinning her opponents. She did not concede any point in four matches until Antim Panghal managed to get three points off her, two came through a swift counterattack, though she lost 3-8.
Susaki vs Antim was billed as the match of the PWL. Antim, the two-time world championships bronze medallist, is India’s biggest star in women’s wrestling at the moment in absence of Vinesh. In fact, Vinesh had to come down to 50kg from her favourite weight class of 53kg for the Paris Olympics because Antim had grabbed the Olympic berth in that category.
With Susaki too going up to 53kg, there could be more battles with Antim. But what transpired on the mat on Wednesday clearly showed that Antim will have a lot of catching up to do if she wants to beat the legend. The crowd came in good numbers to see Susaki fight against Antim. The four-time world champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medallist entered the arena amidst thunderous applause, followed by Antim, representing Uttar Pradesh Dominators.
Susaki was quickly in her low stance — one knee almost touching the ground — as she had her eye on Antim’s legs. Once she had a measure of Antim, Susaki charged towards her legs, and what a strong hold it was.
Antim barely survived the pin twice, and Susaki tossed and turned her over to get her opponent’s shoulder blades on the ground. Susaki would just not leave Antim, looking for the pin like she did to the other four opponents. The action went on for quite some time, and it must have felt like a lifetime for Antim to come out of Susaki’s clutches. To Antim’s credit, she defended well to deny Susaki. But eight points were in Susaki’s pocket, and nobody in the arena thought that Antim would last long.
Once Susaki’s first storm was gone and Antim could shake off Susaki’s aura, she fought back, got points, and lasted the entire duration. The next time Susaki went for Antim’s leg, she was prepared. This time, Antim not only pulled herself back in time but produced such a speedy counter that it dazed Susaki. A takedown for the first time in the PWL against Susaki — and it was another Indian after Vinesh Phogat to take those two points.
The first period ended 8-2 in Susaki’s favour. The spectators waited in anticipation for the second period to start. Susaki tried to close it out early in the second period, but Antim did well to block her move. Antim gained one point as Susaki was cautioned. Antim went on the attack, but Susaki, ahead by a long margin, defended through the remaining minutes — including the power minute when any point earned gets doubled — to sail through. Antim lost but stretched her to the limit.
It remains to be seen whether Susaki fights in the same weight class or goes back to 50kg for the Asian Games, but if she stays in this category, Antim will have to come back stronger — as strong as Vinesh at least.
