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India's star wrestler Anshu Malik came down crashing in the title clash to grab a coveted silver medal in the 57 kg category in the Asian Wrestling Championships after clinching her earlier three bouts comprehensively. Meanwhile, Radhika also clinched a silver in 65 kg category while Manisha had to settle for bronze in the 62 kg division.
The 20-year-old Anshu went down to Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan in the summit clash.
The Indian was dominance personified as she won all her three earlier bouts by technical superiority before losing to Sakurai in the 57kg final.
Anshu, the defending champion from Haryana's Nidani village, displayed a sensation show and literally toyed with her opponents to assure herself a third Asian Championship medal.
She had won a bronze in the 2020 edition at home and won the 57kg title last year in Almaty.
Anshu, who became the first Indian woman wrester to reach the World Championship final last year, began with a win over Uzbekistan's Shokhida Akhmedova and followed that up with another dominating victory against Singapore's Danielle Sue Ching Lim, who appeared at sea against her superior Indian rival.
Anshu hardly gave her rivals time to think or strategise as she pulled off move after move with ease to bamboozle them.
She overpowered Mongolia's Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the semifinals, beginning with a four-point throw that ensued from a double-leg attack.
Easy take-downs and push-out points meant that the last-four stage bout ended in just two minutes and 12 seconds. Radhika emerged victorious against Dariga Aben of Kazakhstan in her Round 5 bout to clinch the silver.
Manisha, meanwhile, settled for a bronze after losing to Korea's Hanbit Lee. The Indian, who has been doing well in the 62kg category at domestic events for some time, lost her semifinal in just 40 seconds to Japan's Nonoka Ozaki to bow out of gold medal race.
Ozaki trapped her in leg-lace move early in the contest and finished the bout in a jiffy.
This was after Manisha was off to a flying start, winning 9-0 against Kazakhstan's Ayaulym Kassymova. Meanwhile, Swati Shinde (53kg) lost both her bouts by technical superiority to go out of medal race.
