Asian Games 2014: Bajrang Kumar settles for silver in 61 Kg freestyle wrestling

Bajrang Kumar

Too little, too late for Bajrang

India’s Bajrang Kumar’s hopes of winning the country’s fifth gold medal went up in smoke as he had to settle for the silver after losing to Iran’s Esmaeilpoorjouybari Masoud in the final of the freestyle 61-kg category at the Dowon Gymnasium. The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medallist was up against an opponent, who hardly broke any sweat making it to the final and was in for a tough challenge. Bajrang allowed the Iranian to wrest the initiative as the latter nosed ahead with a 2-0 lead in the opening round. The Indian fought hard in the second round, sneaking four point, but Masoud also kept winning crucial points to corner glory.

The 2014 Asian Championship silver medallist has been on a high after announcing his arrival on the international stage at the 2013 Asian Championship, where he was drafted in as a replacement for injured Yogeshwar Dutt and went on to bag the bronze in that event.

The 20-year-old, who is also the 2013 Asian Championship bronze medallist, had prevailed over Japan’s Japan’s Takatsuka Noriyuki in the semifinals. The Haryana lad earlier had advanced to the semifinals after putting it across Tajikistan’s Farkhodi Usmomdoza in the quarterfinals. Bajrang had shrugged off a sluggish start to put it across Mongolia’s Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg in the first round. The 2013 World Championship bronze medallist was trailing 2-4 in the first round, but showed nerves of steel to claw his way back and emerged the winner. On the final day of freestyle wrestling, Narsingh Yadav got the better of Japan’s Shimada Daisuke in the freestyle 74-kg category ad will now play Kambarov Ramazan of Turkmenistan in the bronze medal play-off bout. He had earlier lost in the opening round to Uzbekistan’s Rashid Kurbanov.

India’s Pawan Kumar lost in the repechage round of the freestyle 86-kg category losing to China’s Zhang Feng. He went down fighting to formidable Meisam Mostafajoukar of Iran in the quarterfinals after defeating Nepal’s Sumir Kumar Sah in emphatic fashion in the first round.

Other wrestling heroes from the Asiad

Yogeshwar Dutt gave the Indian wrestling camp plenty to rejoice about bagging the country’s first Asian Games gold medal after a hiatus of 28 years – Kartar Singh last won it at the 1986 Seoul Olympics. The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist and the 2006 Doha Asiad bronze medallist won the country’s first Asian Games gold medal after a hiatus of 28 years – Kartar Singh last won in 1986. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold medallist fought a tactical bout which went right down to the wire. S Kadian crashed out in the bronze medal play-off round in the 97-kg category, while Amit Kumar and Praveen Rana bowed out in their opening rounds. Among the Indian women, Vinesh and Geetika Jhakar clinched bronze medals in the 48-kg and 63-kg respectively. Babita Kumar lost in the bronze medal play-off round in the 55-kg category, while Jyoti lost in the quarterfinals of the women’s 75-kg category.