India’s Reetika Hooda Grabs Silver At Budapest Ranking Series

Reetika’s success marked India’s fourth medal at the Budapest wrestling ranking series. Aman Sehrawat won silver in men’s 57kg freestyle, while Antim Panghal and Anshu Malik claimed silver in women’s 53kg and 57kg categories, respectively. However, Vinesh Phogat returned without a medal.

Starting strong, Reetika defeated former world champion Justina Di Stasio of Canada 8-0. Although she lost a close match to Tatiana Renteria, Reetika bounced back with victories against Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia and Genesis Reasco Valdez of Ecuador to secure the silver medal.

Reetika had previously secured a quota for India in the women’s 76kg category for the Paris 2024 Olympics during the Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The Budapest tournament was the final ranking series event before the Paris Olympics, with wrestlers earning points for their performances. These rankings will determine the seedings at the Summer Games. India has secured a total of six quotas for Paris 2024, with five in women’s wrestling and one in men’s freestyle.