Geeta Phogat stars as women finish 5th in Wrestling World Cup

Grappler Geeta Phogat stood out in an otherwise average performance by the Indian team which finished fifth in the senior women’s Senior Wrestling World Cup in Mongolia. Geeta, who was playing in the 59-kg category for the first time, won all her bouts against her opponents from Japan, Canada, Mongolia and Belarus. India had qualified for the first time in this eight-team event held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from March 1-3. [caption id=“attachment_647958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Geeta Phogat (R) in action. Reuters[/caption] The Indian team lost its opening Group B match against Japan 2-5, followed by another defeat by an identical margin to hosts Mongolia. In their final match, India overhauled the Canadian challenge 4-3 to finish third from their Pool. In the 5th-6th classification match, India defeated Belarus 5-2 to get the fifth position. China won the gold medal while Mongolia and Japan settled for silver and bronze respectively. PTI