Sushil makes most |
With Stadnik making it to the final, Sushil Kumar got a second chance. In the repechage round, the Indian made the most of the opportunity and won three tough bouts within a span of 70 minutes to win bronze.After losing to Stadnik, the eventual silver medallist, 2:0, Sushil beat Doug Schwab of the USA 2:1 in repechage round one and got the better off Belarusian Albert Batyrov 2:1 in round two. In the bronze medal match, Sushil won the first period 2:1 but lost the second 0:1. In the final period, he managed a submission in the last minute to seal the bronze medal. With this win, he became the first Indian to win a wrestling medal at the Olympics since 1952. Sushil geared himself for his third Olympic appearance in 2016, but with his weight class (66 kg) being moved out of the Olympic category, he trained to fight in the 74 kg category. However, with Narsingh Yadav emerging as India`s premier wrestler in the category and subsequently securing the country`s only quota for the Rio Games, the Wrestling Federation of India chose Narsingh as India`s representative over Sushil amid controversy that saw the latter move the courts against the decision, but without success.Nevertheless, he has etched his name in India`s sporting history with two Olympic medals.
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