Wrestler Seema Bisla Inches Closer Towards Tokyo Olympics Qualification

Indian wrestler Seema Bisla is just one step away from getting qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

She managed to reach the semifinal round of the World Olympic Qualifiers on Friday and lost only two points en route the semifinals. She will now be seen battling against Polish wrestler Anna Lukasiak.

Seema Bisla won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships

Seema Bisla had recently won a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in Almaty, and defeated Belarus' Anastasiya Yanotava. She logged four points in each of the periods to win 8-0.

She also won against Sweden's Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren, and pinned her to win the wrestling bout. Seema stayed ahead of her opponent, and won the match 10-2.

Meanwhile, another Indian wrestler named Nisha (68kg) had to compete against Bulgarian Mimi Hristova in her quarterfinal. The latter was able to pull off a breathtaking four-point throw. After this, Nisha wasn't able to break the Bulgarian's defence, and was defeated.

Nisha had earlier defeated Poland's Natalia Iwona Strzalka during her opening wrestling bout.

Pooja was another wrestler who was ousted from securing a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. She competed in the 76kg, and was defeated by Lithuania's Kamile Gaucaite 3-4.

So far, three Indian wrestlers have managed to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. This includes Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg) and Sonam Malik (62kg).

As for India's male wrestlers, free style wrestler Sumit Malik had qualified in the 125kg on Thursday. He will now be competing against Russia's Sergei Kozyrev, the 2018 Youth Olympic champion.

Meanwhile, Greco Roman wrestler Naveen Kumar (130kg) tested positive for COVID-19. He had travelled  with the Indian squad to Sofia, Bulgaria, and had participated in the World Olympic Games Qualifier.

“Naveen has been isolated from the rest of the squad. He was the only member to test positive for COVID. Other members of the Indian wrestling squad are safe,” said a Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) official on Friday.