Women wrestlers finish fifth in World Cup

New Delhi: 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. 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