Wrestler Rohit Dahiya enters bronze-medal round

BISHEK (Kyrgyzstan), April 16: India’s Rohit Dahiya made it to the bronze-medal round, making him the only Greco-Roman wrestler from the country to be in contention for a podium finish at the Asian Championships here on Tuesday.
On a day when all other Indian Greco-Roman grapplers continued to come up with below-par performances, Dahiya (82kg) set up a bronze-medal match-up with Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadkodir Rasulov, ranked 12th in the world.
The other three wrestlers on show, Parvesh (60kg), Vinayak Siddheshwar Patil (67kg) and Ankit Gulia (72kg) got eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
However, Dahiya, who had represented the country in the 2022 World U-20 Championships in Sofia, despite losing his quarterfinal bout to Japan’s Yoshida Taizo on points 7-2, made it to the bronze-medal round as the opponent he lost to made it to the final.
In the 60kg category, Parvesh lost his pre-quarterfinal bout by technical superiority to Kazakhstan’s Galym Kabdunassarov.
While Hanjae Chung of South Korea overcame Vinayak Patil 7-1 on points in the 67kg category quarterfinal.
In 72kg category, Kazakhstan’s Adilkhan Satayev inflicted a victory by fall on Ankit Gulia in the qualification round.
On Monday, five Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers — Arjun Halakurki (55kg), Umesh (63kg), Sajan (77kg), Ajay (87kg) and Mehar Singh (130kg) — lost in the preliminary rounds.
Indian women wrestlers have won six medals — three silver and as many bronze — in the competition, while in men’s freestyle, the country bagged a silver through Udit (57kg).
Abhimanyu (70kg) and Vicky (97kg) clinched bronze medals in their respective categories. (PTI)