Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Wrestling

Wrestlers Deepak Punia and Ravi Dahiya are one win away from a medal in Tokyo Olympics

Qualifying for the Semifinals, Deepak Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya one win away from confirming a medal for India.

Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia
X

Indian wrestlers Deepak Punia and Ravi Dahiya (Source: Wrestling TV)

By

Ananth Narasimman

Updated: 4 Aug 2021 6:04 AM GMT

Deepak Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya are one win away from etching their names in the history books after both entering the Semifinals with clutch victories.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya was in the best form as he entered the tournament, and it showed in the first match against Colombia's Oscar Eduardo, where he dominated from the get-go, leading to a comfortable 13-2 victory on the grounds of technical superiority. The next round was no different as Bulgaria's Georgi Valentinov stood no chance against the poise and pressure of Ravi Kumar as he cruised into yet another dominating 14-4 victory via technical superiority. Winning his previous encounters in such a resounding fashion is sure to give Ravi Kumar the boost that he needs to defeat Kazhakastan's Sanayev Nurislam.

Deepak Punia, India's only heavyweight, entered the tournament with high expectations, and he has more than lived up to them, winning both his matches setting up a semifinals encounter with American David Morris. Deepak cruised through his first matchup despite Nigerian Agiormor Ekerekeme's best efforts, with a dominant display, leading to a 12-1 victory via technical superiority. The second-round matchup against China's Lin Zushen gave us a memorable match that will remain one of the best we have seen from Punia as the hard-fought encounter brought out the best in both wrestlers. Deepak cruised to a 3-0 lead, making the audience at home feel like this would be yet another easy one, but Li Zushen did not give up though and came back to equal the score. It was a battle till the very end, but Deepak made a couple of clutch moves to seal the match.

Both wrestlers have made the country proud with their display up until now, with the hopes that both qualify for the finals, confirming two medals for India. This has indeed been a great day for wrestling in the country.


Next Story