Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Brave Dahiya digs in for gold, finds silver
A day after scripting gritty comeback in semis, young Haryana wrestler loses final to Russian Uguev
Ravi Dahiya was feeling miserable. He had become only the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver, after Sushil Kumar in 2012, but the glint of the medal hanging from his neck was not enough to soften the pain of defeat. He did not celebrate the silver. He was so close to gold.
The 23-year-old wrestler from Haryana lost the final bout of the 57kg freestyle wrestling event to Russian Zavur Uguev, the twotime world champion and on the day, just a little bit superior to the young Dahiya, making his Olympic debut.
The previous day, Dahiya bounced back from the brink of defeat to pin two-time Worlds medallist Nurislam Sanayev in a thrilling semi-final.
Against Uguev, Dahiya got no such opportunity. The Russian was swift with his counters, and strong in defence. He opened a 2-0 lead through step-outs. Dahiya brought him down to draw parity. But Zavur scored another two points with a takedown even as Dahiya did well to avoid getting tangled.
In the second period, with Uguev leading 4-2, Dahiya stepped up the attack and looked for an opening. Even as he went searching for the win, Uguev, strong in defence, scored another three points with a fast counter. With one and a half minutes to go, there was enough time for Dahiya to mount a comeback. A takedown gave him two more points but that was all he could muster.
“Jis cheez ke liye aaye the, kami rahe gayi. Kuch kami rahe gayi mere me (I was not able to do what I came here to do. I fell short),” said Dahiya. “For two months, I have not spoken to my family, nor used my phone. I just wanted to give everything for the Olympics and win a gold medal. I didn’t even go home during lockdown. I was training in Chhatrasal Stadium.”
A silver in Tokyo has only added to the stature of wrestling as that rare sport outside of cricket where India has a strong global presence. Starting with Sushil’s bronze in Beijing 2008, India has now won a medal in every edition of the
Games since.
“I can’t be satisfied by anything less than gold,” said Dahiya.
Dahiya remembers the August night of 2008 when Sushil, now in jail on murder charges, won his Olympic bronze. “When Sushil Kumar won the medal, I was small, but I went to see him,” Dahiya sad. “Later, Yogeshwar Dutt also won a medal (bronze, 2012). I have learned a lot from them. They inspired me to be at the Olympics and win a medal.”
Dahiya comes from Nahri village in Sonepat, which has a strong tradition of wrestling. “My father took me to Hansraj ji who trains young boys in the village. Hansrajji then brought me to Chhatrasal,” Dahiya said.