Vinesh Phogat wins Spanish Grand Prix gold
Madrid (PTI): In a perfect build-up to the Paris Olympics, top Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat clinched the women's 50kg gold medal at the Grand Prix of Spain here on Saturday.
The two-time World Championship bronze medallist defeated Mariia Tiumerekova 10-5 in the final to bag the gold.
Mariia is a former Russian wrestler who is now competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete.
Vinesh, who received her Schengen visa at the last minute on Wednesday, won three bouts without much difficulty to storm into the final.
The 29-year-old former Asian Games gold medallist first beat Pan American champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba 12-4 on points.
She then registered a win by fall against Madison Parks of Canada, a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Vinesh beat another Canadian Katie Dutchak 9-4 on points.
After her training-cum-competition stint in Spain, Vinesh will travel to France for a 20-day training stint in preparation for the Paris Games.
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2 leopards captured in village near Bengaluru after fatal attack on woman
Bengaluru, Nov 26: A week after a 52-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard near Shivagange Hills in Nelamangala taluk, the Forest department has captured two leopards from Kambalu Gollarahatti village, officials said on Tuesday.
A seven-year-old male leopard was captured on Monday, followed by a nine-year-old female leopard on Tuesday from the same area, they said.
Blood and hair samples of the leopards have been collected and will be sent to the National Centre for Biological Sciences. DNA analysis will determine if either of the captured leopards was responsible for the fatal attack, a senior forest official said.
The victim, identified as Kariamma, was killed on November 17 while cutting grass in an agricultural field near her home. She was reportedly dragged into the forest by a leopard, which mauled her to death and consumed parts of her body.
In response, the Forest Department deployed large cages and installed eight pairs of camera traps around the area to track the leopards.
"Camera traps captured footprints of two male leopards and one female leopard. This enabled us to locate and capture the male and female leopards. Our teams are actively searching for the third male leopard whose footprints were recorded," the official added.
Efforts are ongoing to ensure the safety of residents and monitor wildlife in the region.
