It was a huge moment for Indian Wrestler Ravi Dahiya as he moves one step closer to bringing home Wrestling Gold at the Olympics 2020.
On Wednesday Ravi Dahiya became only the second Indian wrestler to qualify for the title clash at the Olympic Games when he sensationally turned around the 57kg semifinal bout by pinning Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev, here on Wednesday.
Earlier during the day of events at Tokyo 1010, Deepak Punia went down to David Taylor of the US in the semifinals of men’s freestyle in the 86kg category. He will now fight for the bronze medal.
Before Dahiya, who is son of a Haryana farmer, Sushil Kumar was the only Indian to make the gold medal bout at the 2012 London Games but had to settle for a silver.
The fourth seed Indian trailed 2-9 after Sanayev effected a few ‘fitley’ (leg lace) but as the clocked ticked away, Dahiya regrouped and got hold of his rival with a double leg attack that resulted in a ‘victory by fall’.
Despite a huge deficit, Dahiya did not panic, showing tremendous mental strength and dramatically turned the bout in his favour.
Ravi Dahiya is now only the fifth Indian wrestler to have won an Olympic medal after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kaumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik.
Jadhav had become India’s first wrestler and also the first individual Olympic medallist when he won a bronze during the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Sakshi Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal when she took a bronze in the 2016 Rio Games.
Wrestler Dahiya hails from Nehri village of Sonepat district in Haryana.