Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia congratulates 'true warrior' Ravi Dahiya for Olympic silver

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia congratulated fellow wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya for winning the 5th medal for the Indian Olympics Contingent at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Ravi Dahiya settled for a silver medal after losing his final match of the campaign 4-7 against the current World Champion Zavur Uguev in the 57 kg category. The Russian Olympics Committee’s (ROC) athlete, Uguev dominated the match by not giving the Indian any chance to take the lead. 

The expectations from the 23-year Dahiya were at an all-time high for scoring a Gold but the Russian defended well, winning the match comfortably. Earlier on Wednesday, Dahiya stormed into the finals after defeating Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev 7-9 and winning the match by fall. The wrestler hailing from the Nahri village of Haryana had a phenomenal outing against Colombia's Tigreros Urbano 13-2, in his campaign opener and then outclassed Bulgaria's Georgi Valentinov Vangelov 14-4,  in the quarterfinals. Wishes poured in for the wrestler from many notable personalities including, PM Modi, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.

India gets its second Olympics silver medalist in wrestling

Ravi Dahiya, the reigning Asia Champion in the 57kg freestyle category, became India's second Olympics silver medalist in wrestling He also became the first person to reach the Olympics men’s Wrestling Final after Sushil Kumar’s silver in the 2012 London Olympics where Yugeshwar Dutt also earned a bronze medal. This was the second time Dahiya lost from Uguev as in the 2019 World Championships, the 23-year-old defeated European champion Arsen Harutyunyan in the round of 16, the 2017 World Champion Yuki Takahashu in the quarterfinal. He settled for a bronze medal after losing to Zarur Uduev in the semifinals. This bronze medal in his debut World Championship secured him a berth in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Earlier in the day, Grappler also bowed out after losing to her ROC opponent Valeria Koblova in the women’s freestyle 57kg repechage. Meanwhile, wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s hopes to earn a Bronze Medal in the 53kg women’s freestyle Olympics event was shattered as her quarterfinal opponent Belarus’s Vanesa Kaladzinskaya lost her semi-final clash. With this loss, Phogat’s hopes of winning the Bronze medal through repechage also ended.

(PTI/UNI)

Image Source: PTI/AP