Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia fails to enter final in 65kg wrestling category, to fight for bronze

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Tokyo, August 6: India's gold medal hopes from wrestling arena are over as Bajrang Punia lost to Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday (August 6). Aliyev beat Bajrang in the semifinals quite comfortably 12-5 to enter the 65kg final.

However, Bajrang can still return with a medal from Tokyo as he will be featured in the bronze medal match on Sunday (August 7). Bajrang will now play for the bronze medal against Daulet Niyazbekov.

However, the Indian will be crestfallen as he had begun the bout quite solidly earning 1 point after Aliyev was put under time pressure to attack, an attempt in which he failed.

But since that moment Aliyev found a way to score points consistently, locking in on Bajrang's ankle often and not allowing him any momentum or time to launch an attack of his own. Aliyev continued to pile on points, and though Bajrang managed to log in two two-point efforts of his own the Azerbaijan wrestler was already way ahead.

Bajrang quit the bout with two seconds remaining on the clock, as Aliyev had already built a 7-point lead and it was futile to continue to wrestle and lose energy. There was a challenge from Indian camp when Aliyev was leading 11-5 and with 2 seconds remaining, but that was taken more in hope than with any real conviction.

Earlier, Bajrang progressed to the semifinals of the men's freestyle 65kg event at the Tokyo Olympics after defeating Iran's Morteza Ghiasi Cheka at the Makuhari Messe Hall A -- Mat A on Friday (August 6).

Bajrang defeated Iran's Morteza Ghiasi Cheka by pinning him down to the mat (victory by fall) in the 1/4 Final. The number two seed Indian started the cagey contest on the back foot as he conceded a shot clock for passivity and gave one point to Morteza Ghiasi Cheka going into the second period.

There was no respite even in the second half for Bajrang as the referee again charged the Indian for passivity but this time the 27-year-old held his nerve and showed his proper class against Ghiasi's right leg hold as he defended brilliantly.

But soon Punia prevailed after a brilliant takedown of the Iranian which gave him the two points and in sequence, he pinned the Ghiasi to move into the next round.

Earlier in the day, Bajrang progressed into the quarterfinals after defeating Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan. The bout between Bajrang and Akmataliev ended with a score tied on 3-3 but the Indian prevailed because he had the criteria with him (higher point-scoring move, a 2-pointer in the first period) in the 1/8 Final.