BELGRADE, Sep 17: Indian free-style wrestlers, barring Pruthviraj Patil (92kg), had another disappointing day in office with three of them losing in the preliminary rounds of the World Championships, here on Sunday.
The Indians, who are competing under the United World Wrestling flag following the ban of Wresting Federation of India by the international body, have a faint chance of bagging a bronze medal in 70kg where Abhimanyu entered the medal round through the repechage route.
Abhimanyu, who had lost in the quarterfinal on Saturday got a lifeline when the American grappler Zain Allen Retherford, who had defeated him in the last-eight, made it to the final.
The repechage comes into effect for wrestlers who lose in the pre-quarterfinals or later.
It allows the wrestlers a chance to revive themselves in the competition if the opponent they have lost to reaches the final.
In the repechage round Abhimanyu defeated Tajikistan’s Mustafo Akhmedov 3-1 to secure a spot in the bronze-medal round.
However, Abhimanyu cannot secure a 2024 Paris quota place for the country as the 70kg division is not an Olympic weight category.
Pruthviraj, in 92kg category, defeated Moldovan grappler Ion Demian 6-4 in the qualification bout before returning on the mat to defeat eighth-seeded Ermak Kardanov of Slovakia 6-1 in the pre-quarterfinal.The world No. 12 Pruthviraj will take on Georgian wrestler Miriani Maisuradze in the quarterfinals in the non-Olympic category. (PTI)
