Tokyo Olympics: Wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Deepak Punia enter semi-finals

By Asianet Newsable English | First Published Aug 4, 2021, 9:22 AM IST

Indian wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia qualify for the semi-finals of their respective weight categories.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya defeated Valentinov Georgi Vangelov of Bulgaria 14-4 by technical superiority to enter the semi-finals of the men's freestyle wrestling (57kg) category at Tokyo 2020.

Ravi had defeated Valentinov 6-2 in the first round. In the second round, Valentinov tried a counterattack and collected 2 points. However, Ravi continued to collect points and ended the match by extending the gap to 10 points.

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In the semi-final, Ravi will now face Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev, who won on technical grounds in a 4-4 draw over hosts Japan's Takahashi Yuki in the quarterfinals.

Ravi had earlier today defeated Colombia's Oscar Eduardo Tigreros Urbano to reach the quarterfinals in the 1/8 elimination fight. Ravi, who won the first round 3-2, dominated the second round so badly that he kept the margin of his lead more than ten points by scoring consecutively, due to which he was declared the winner after stopping the match in the middle. He won the second round 13-2.

Deepak Punia in men's freestyle (86kg) QF

Indian wrestler Deepak Punia made it to the semi-finals of the 86 kg category of men's freestyle wrestling at Tokyo 2020, defeating Lin Zushen of China 6-3.

Earlier, Punia had defeated Ekerekeme Agiomor of Nigeria to move into the quarter-final. His match too had to be stopped midway in the second round itself.

Second seed Deepak had taken a 4-1 lead in the first round. In the second round too, he dominated from the beginning and continued to collect points. As soon as Deepak scored 4 successive points after taking an 8-1 lead, the referee interrupted the match and declared Deepak the 12-1 winner on technical superiority.

Anshu loses to Bulgaria's Iryna in 1/8 elimination

Another Indian wrestler, Anshu, suffered a one-sided loss to Bulgaria's Iryna Kurachkina in the 1/8 elimination bout of the 57kg category of women's freestyle wrestling.

The highly experienced and number-3 seeded Iryna overpowered Olympic debutant Anshu as she went on to win 8-2.

Anshu, though, still has a chance to win a bronze medal. If Iryna reaches the final, Anshu will get a chance to enter the repechage round, which is played for the bronze medal.

There are seven Indian wrestlers competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are considered to be strong contenders for the medal in their respective weight categories.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Sonam Malik bowed out of the competition in the women's 62kg category after losing to Khürelkhüügiin Bolortuyaa of Mongolia in her first-round bout.

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