Young Indian wrestler Sonam Malik lost against Mongolia's Bolortuya Khurelkhu in the first round match of the women's 62kg category at the Tokyo Olympics. Sonam, who is debuting in the Olympics, will now have to wait whether she gets a chance to participate in the repechage round.
Sonam had taken a 1-0 lead till the end of the first period. In the second period too, Sonam scored a point and took a 2-0 lead. 19-year-old Sonam was leading 2-0 with two 'push-out points but Asian Championship silver medalist Khuralkhu levelled the Indian wrestler by scoring two points, while the bout was just 35 seconds away. The game was over.
Till the end the score was 2-2 but Bolortuya was declared the winner on the basis of two points together in the second period.
However, Sonam Malik is still in the race for the medal. If Mongolia's Khurelkhu reaches the final, Sonam Malik will get a chance to play the repechage round so that she can win the bronze medal. Sonam, a two-time cadet world champion (2017, 2019), had qualified for the Tokyo Games in April by making it to the final of the Asian Qualifiers in Almaty.