Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat suffered a setback in his Paris Olympic campaign, losing his 57kg freestyle semifinal to Japan's Rei Higuchi by a decisive 10-0 margin. However, despite the loss, Sehrawat is still in contention for a bronze medal.
Aman Sehrawat Falls Short in Semifinals
Buoyed by earlier victories, Aman Sehrawat entered the semifinal with high hopes. However, he faced a formidable opponent in Rio Olympics silver medalist and 2022 world champion Rei Higuchi. The Japanese wrestler proved too strong for the 21-year-old Indian, securing a dominant win.
Sehrawat will now aim to secure a bronze medal when he faces Pan American Games bronze medalist Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico. Cruz received a bye in the repechage round.
Aman Sehrawat's Impressive Run
Aman Sehrawat made a strong start to his Olympic campaign, securing a dominant 10-0 victory over Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia in the round of 16. His impressive form continued in the quarterfinals as he defeated Albania's Zelimkhan Abakanov by a decisive 12-0 margin.
Born in 2004, Sehrawat is a product of the esteemed Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. Despite his young age, he has already amassed an impressive list of achievements, including titles at the U23 World Championships and the senior Asian Championships. Notably, he had earlier defeated the previous Olympic silver medalist in this weight category, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, to secure his Paris Olympic berth.
India's women's wrestling contingent faced challenges at the Olympics. Anshu Malik and Antim Panghal suffered early exits, losing their respective opening round matches. Nisha Dahiya's campaign ended prematurely due to a heartbreaking injury during her quarterfinal bout.
Vinesh Phogat's Olympic dream was shattered after she was disqualified from the women's 50kg category for missing the weigh-in.
However, just a day after being controversially disqualified from the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final at the Paris Olympics for being slightly overweight, Vinesh Phogat stunned the nation by announcing her retirement from the sport. The wrestler, who was on the cusp of creating history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic gold in wrestling, expressed her deep disappointment and emotional turmoil in a heartfelt social media post. Despite filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging her disqualification, Phogat's decision to retire came as a shock to fans and the sporting fraternity.
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