World Wrestling Championships | Sushil Kumar loses opening round bout returning after eight years

09/20/2019

India’s outing at the World Wrestling Championships continued to deteriorate as Sushil Kumar became the late casualty after he lost his first round bout to Azerbaijan’s Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev on Friday. The two-time Olympic medallist will now be waiting to see if Gadzhiyev reached the final.

The veteran wrestler had started off well after he trailed 0-2 in the beginning of the bout in the 74kg category. Using all his experience, Sushil managed a four-point throw and further cushioned it with yet another four-point throw to lead 8-2. To his good fortune, his opponents challenged the throw and lost it, thereby making it 9-2.

But, the second half of the bout was totally different as Gadzhiyev was seen scoring a takedown before he eventually took the lead with a gut wrench from a ground position. It was followed by two quick points as the Azerbaijan wrestler pushed Sushil out.

Sushil, like most of his compatriots earlier, would be waiting to see if Gadzhiyev reached the summit clash that would see him fight for the Olympic qualification as well as a bronze medal. Sushil has been the only Indian to win a World title, which came back in 2010.

Apart from Sushil, Karan also lost his bout 0-7 to Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov in the non-Olympic 70kg.