Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Ravi Dahiya claimed the gold medal in the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series finals in Istanbul on Sunday.
Ravi Dahiya Wins Gold in Yasar Dogu Ranking (Twitter Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Ravi Dahiya took the gold medal
- Ravi Dahiya defeated Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan 11-10
- Deepak Punia, Aman and Gyanendra secured bronze medals
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Ravi Dahiya defeated Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan 11-10 in the 61 kg final to win gold in the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series in Istanbul. After trailing 8-10 against Abdullaev, Dahiya was better off on his final move and ended the fight happily for himself.
The silver medalist had previously defeated Iran’s Mohammadbagher Esmaeil Yakhkeshi in the semifinals of the tournament. Aside from him, wrestler Deepak Punia defeated Kazakhstan’s Elkhan Assadov 7-1 in the bronze medal round of the 92 kg category, while Aman and Gyanendra also settled for bronzes in the 57 kg and 60 kg categories respectively.
Notably, Ravi Dahiya became only the second Indian wrestler to win a silver medal at the Olympics after losing the men’s 57 kg freestyle title in Tokyo 4–7 to reigning world champion Zavur Uguev. However, the 23-year-old was not satisfied with his medal as he wanted to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I feel good for silver but I could have done better. I did my best to win gold but just missed it,” said Ravi Dahiya.
Ravi rose to prominence when he qualified for the Tokyo Games with a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Nur Sultan. Ravi started wrestling at Hansraj Brahmchari akhada in Nahri village and later moved to Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. Two Olympic wrestlers live in the village of Nahri, Mahavir Singh (1980 Moscow) and Amit Kumar Dahiya (2012 London).
