Riding on her bronze medal finish at the Rio Olympic Games, Sakshi Malik entered the top-five in the latest UWW (United World Wrestling) rankings, rising to a career-best 4th position in women’s 58kg category.
Previously unranked, Sakshi, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an olympic medal, claimed the position in the latest list.
Another Indian woman wrestler — Vinesh Phogat — who made an exit in the quarterfinals after a knee injury during the Olympics, climbed up two places to 11th position in the 48kg category.
In the men’s freestyle category, Sandeep Tomar and Bajrang Punia were the only Indians to make it to the top-20 list.
Sandeep, who bowed out of the Olympics after losing his bout in the initial round, is currently placed at 15th position in the 57kg category, while Bajrang is ranked 18th in 61kg weight division.
Feature image source: AFP