Yogeshwar Dutt might not get the gold medal after all!
© Yogeshwar Dutt Facebook
The short-lived euphoria fuelled by media reports that Yogeshwar Dutt's Olympic bronze is set to be upgraded to Gold has been refuted by media reports. Fresh reports have revealed that Gold medallist, Toghrul Asgarov, who was alleged to have been found doping, has not even been tested so far.
Yogeshwar Dutt's bronze had, last week, received a silver upgrade after London Olympics' silver medallist, Russia’s Besik Kudukhov, had tested positive for drugs. Following that, Hindustan Times, had then published unverified reports that the Gold medallist in the event, Toghrul Asgarov, had tested positive and that Yogeshwar's medal will be upgraded to Gold. The report contained two uncertainties however – the verification that Asgarov had been tested positive, and the rule by which Yogeshwar, who was on the other side of the draw and had not faced Asgarov at all, would receive the medal.
The Hindu had raised the same questions and the issue was left in limbo as the United World Wrestling rules do not state a clear succession of the medals in case of doping.
Fresh reports, however, suggest that the Hindustan Times' original assertion itself may be misguided after it has been revealed that Asgarov's sample has not even been tested yet.
Even in case of Asgarov testing positive, Yogeshwar's medal may not get upgraded as the process is anything but simple – the athlete stripped of the medal has recourse to appeal against the decision, and the fact that Yogeshwar was not in the same half of the draw also would play into the decision.
Yogeshwar Dutt had lost to the silver medallist in the other side of the draw, Kudukhov in the early stages of the 60kg event. Speaking about his medal upgrade, Dutt had recently has made it clear that he would want the family of Besik Kudukhov to keep the medal if he got a silver medal upgrade, but “will take it” if he gets a gold medal.
