19-year-old Pincky Balhara won the silver medal in women’s 52 kg Kurash at the Asian Games on Tuesday.
Balhara lost to Uzbekistan’s Gulnor Sulaymanova 0-10 in the championship bout — who is the reigning Asian Champion and she also took the top spot at the World Championships last year. Earlier in the day, Yallappa lost to Sulaymanova 0-10 in the semifinal to claim the bronze as both the semifinalists are assured of medals.
Balhara, hailing from Neb Sarai village in Delhi, and Jadhav from Belgaum made history by winning the silver and bronze in the 52kg category. The sport is making its debut at the Asian Games.
While Indian athletes won laurel for the country in Indonesia, not many know what the sport is all about. Kurash holds similarities with judo (minus the groundwork) and is commonly known as standing judo. The primary objective is to throw the opponent on the ground on the back by grabbing the towel around their waist.
Athletes can claim points in Kurash via three moves – Halal, Yambosh and Chala.
The player who scores a Halal claims victory in the bout and one needs to throw the opponent on his back with full control to score points through this method. Yambosh is when a player throws his opponent a bit closer and two Yambosh in the match make one Halal, which in turn helps the athlete claim victory. A throw, which is not Yambosh is called Chala and these are independent moves.
An athlete can commit only two penalties during the course of a bout — Tambik and Dakki. The third penalty, which is called as Girrom means the athlete is disqualified.
