Divya Kakran, Manju Kumari and Seema enter bronze medal playoff at Asian Wrestling Championship

Asian Games bronze-medallist Divya Kakran, Manju Kumari and Seema Thursday made it to the bronze medal play-offs of the Asian Wrestling Championships' women's competition in Xian, China. While Kakran and Manju reached the bronze medal round after losing their respective semifinal bouts, Seema made it to the third-fourth place match after winning her repechage bout. Kakran lost out on a place in the final of 68kg as she went down to Feng Zhou of China 4-14 in the semifinals. Earlier in the day, Kakran, who is returning to competitive wrestling after recovering from an ankle injury, came up with an impressive show to beat Hong Thuy Nguyen of Vietnam 10-0 in her quarterfinal bout. 

Silver-medallist in the 69kg category at the 2017 edition of the Asian Championships in New Delhi, Kakran will take on Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia in her bronze-medal bout later in the day.

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Manju Kumari suffered a defeat at the hands of Battsetseg Altantsetseg of Mongolia 6-15 in the last four stage to settle for a place in the bronze-medal round of 59kg. She will fight it out with Thi Huong Dao for a podium finish.

Manju had earlier beaten Kazakhstan's Madina Bakbergenova 5-3 in the quarterfinals. Seema will also vie for a third-place finish in 50kg, where she will face Valentina Ivanovna Islamova Brik of Kazakhstan. She defeated Meng Hsuan Hsieh of Chinese Taipei in her repechage bout 10-2. Seema had earlier lost to Yuki Irie of Japan in the qualification round but made the repechage after her Japanese rival reached the final.

However, India's campaign got over early in the 55kg and 76kg weight divisions when Lalita and Pooja lost their respective quarterfinal bouts to bow out of the tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lalita and Pooja lost their respective quarterfinal bouts to bow out of the tournament.
• Manju Kumari will fight it out with Thi Huong Dao for a podium finish.
• Seema will also vie for a third-place finish in 50kg.