India’s Reetika Hooda outclasses Japanese wrestler to storm into Asian Championship final

A double-leg takedown, counter-lifts and a facile, one-sided win over a young Japanese. The 2023 Under-23 World Champion Reetika Hooda stormed into her maiden Asian Championship final with a stunning victory fall, in just 4 minutes and 13 seconds, over Nodoka Yamamoto in Amman on Thursday.With all other Indian wrestlers – the male Greco-Roman wrestlers or the women until now – falling the wayside in the semifinal, Reetika became the only wrestler from the country to reach the title round, where she will face Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan later on Thursday.
Reetika booked her place in the 76kg semifinals with a one-sided 10-0 win over Seoyeon Jeong of South Korea. With Japan resting Paris Olympics champion Yuka Kagami, the 23-year-old Yamamoto was drafted into the side with an eye on developing bench strength in the new Olympic cycle.
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Known for her speed, stamina and deadly double-leg attacks, Reetika showed no mercy. She opened the scoring with her signature double-leg attack and added to her tally with another takedown to go 4-0 up at the break. The young Indian wrestler began the second round with two points off a counter-lift and then slammed Yamamoto on the mat for a four-pointer to seal the deal.
Hailing from the same academy where the Rio Olympics medall Sakshi Malik learnt her craft, Reetika became the first from India to book a quota in the heaviest Olympic weight class for women at last year’s Paris Olympics. In October 2023, Reetika achieved another first for the country after being crowned the Under-23 World Champion.