Asian Games: Yogeshwar Dutt storms into 65 kg final

Yogeshwar Dutt

India’s star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt stormed into the final of the men’s freestyle 65-kg category. The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist got the better of China’s Katai Yeerlanbieke in the semifinals. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold medallist showed his class outwrestling his Chinese to march into the gold medal match where he faces Tajiskistan’s Yusupov Zalimkhan. He had earlier defeated Korea’s Kang Jinhyok in the quarterfinals, where he directly got a bye into the last eight stage.

India’s Satywart Kadian lost in the quarterfinals of the men’s freestyle 97-kg category to Kazakhstan’s Musaev Mahomed. He lated defeat Pakistan’s Awan WAN Bilal Hussain in the repechage round and now faces Kazakhstan’s Ibragimov Mamed in the bronze medal play-off bout.

Among the Indian women, Babita Kumar lost in the semifinals to three time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan. She went through the repechage round and now faces China’s Zhong Xuechin in the bronze medal play-off bout.Earlier, India’s Jyoti lost in the quarterfinals of the women’s freestle 75-kg category.

India’s women wrestlers had clinched two bronze medals on Saturday. Vinesh first won the bronze outclassing Mongolia’s Narangerel Erdenesuk in the women's freestyle 48-kg category at the Dowon Gymnasium on Saturday. She had earlier lost to Japan’s Eri Tosaka in the semifinals. She got the better of Uzbekistan’s Yakshimuratova Dauletbike in the quarterfinals in a keenly contested bout. Vinesh had snuffed out the challenge of Korea’s Pak Yongmi in the opening round.

Geetika Jakhar defeated Vietnam’s Ly Thi Hien in the women’s freestyle 48-kg category. The 29-year-old Indian wrestler, who had featured in the 2006 Doha Asian Games as well as in the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games, had lost to China’s Xilou Zhuoma in the semifinals.

Geeetika earlier showed her class first accounting for Kazakhstan’s Larionova Yekaterina in the opening round before going on to prevail over Thailand’s Auntun Jaratrawee in the quarterfinals.