Struggle continues in Greco-Roman

Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), September 15 

Ravi won India’s first bout at the World Championships before suffering a defeat by fall as the country’s Greco-Roman wrestlers continued their disappointing show here today. The Olympics qualification was at stake in three categories but all three Indians cut a sorry figure as Manish (67kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg) and Ravi (97kg) exited. 

The four wrestlers in action on the opening day had not won a single bout and three of them did not even score a point but Ravi managed to win a bout against Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Hao Chen.

Ravi lost his next bout, against Czech Republic’s Artur Omarov, without scoring a point. “The standard of competition here is too high for our boys. It’s very tough out there. The results are on expected lines,” said India’s national coach Hargobind Singh.

Gurpreet Singh (77kg), along with two other Indians, will be in action tomorrow. “Gurpreet is the best in this lot. We are hoping that at least he will finish in the top-six and clinch an Olympics quota,” he said. — PTI