CWG 2018 | Rahul Aware wins gold in Men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling

04/12/2018

It turned out to be a good day for the Indian wrestlers at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as Babita Kumari's silver was followed by Rahul Aware securing a gold medal in the 57kg freestyle event. This is the 2011 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold medalist’s first gold medal at the Games.

The first bout of the 57kg discipline was anything but a complete carnage from the Indian as his English opponent George Ramm failed to secure a single point in the bout. After starting the first period on a slower note, in which Aware could win only three points, the Indian made a roaring comeback in the second and won eight technical points in the game to win the bout 11-0.

Aware won the following game without breaking a sweat as Australia’s Thomas Cicchini was proven to be a no-match to him. With 10 technical points of the local favourite, Aware took a huge lead in the standings. However, the real challenge awaited for him in the next bout as Pakistan’s Muhammad Bilal gave him a tough challenge. Understanding the opposition prowess, Aware rose his performance a bit higher and ended up winning the third bout 12-8 and set up the final fight with Canada's Steven Takahashi.

The final bout started on a slower note for the Indian as he was trailing 2-3 after the first three minutes of the game. However, Aware completed a takedown to level the scores and then turned Takahashi again to take a 6-2 lead by the end of the first period in the final bout. Although the Canadian managed to level the scores at the start of the second period, the Indian immediately took a point to keep up the lead in the bout. However, after that, it was completely a one-way traffic as the Indian won points for fun to present India another gold medal at the Games.

This was India's second medal in Wrestling at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games after Babita Kumari had earlier won a silver in the Freestyle 53 kg Nordic final. This takes India's gold tally to 13.