"I've not spoken to my family for the past two months": Ravi Dahiya underlines sacrifices made to get historic wrestling silver for India
When Ravi Dahiya stepped onto the wrestling mat at Makuhari Messe Event Hall on Thursday evening, history was made for India. He became only the second Indian wrestler ever to reach the final of his event at the Olympics. His opponent was none other than two-time defending world champion Zaur Uguev of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Both wrestlers have only met once before. It was in the 2019 world championship semifinals, where the Russian grappler got the better of Ravi. After yesterday's semi-final bout, Ravi had a small scare on the right bicep. However, it did not create any hindrance for the Indian wrestler today.
Zaur Uguev took an early lead in the match. However, Dahiya leveled the scorers at 2-2 at half time. Just as the Indian camp were beginning to get hopeful of an elusive gold medal, Uguev came roaring back into the match.
He attacked the Indian’s left leg and got a good grip on it to score more points for the ROC. The Russian grappler went on to win two back-to-back points to stretch his lead by 5 points (7-2). Ravi kept attacking but unfortunately it wasn't enough as the Russian wrestler's defense was impenetrable. The final score ended 7-4 in favor of Zaur Uguev.
Ravi Dahiya disappointed with his silver medal and wants to win gold in Paris
After the match, a disappointed Ravi spoke to the press. He said:
"I qualified for the Olympics back in 2019, and was preparing for it for a long time. My target was to win a gold medal and bring glory to the country. I got silver but maybe this is what I deserve now. I will work harder and win a gold medal next time."
Ravi added:
"I'm happy that I won silver but I came here to win gold. So something is missing (from my medal locker)."
As for his opponent, Ravi said:
"Uguev is a good opponent and he has been a two-time world champion. The bout was good but I missed out on some crucial details. I will work on the shortcomings. I lost to him in the semifinals at the world championships in 2019. I worked on this game but somewhere I fell short. i will try to improve my game further. There was no pressure at all due to the Olympics. We had to prepare well but fell short on few aspects."
Upon being asked about the injury he suffered in the semifinals, Ravi said:
"It really didn't matter much. I put some ice on it and it was ok. Everyone comes to the Olympics to win medals and no one wants to lose."
Ravi also spoke about the immense sacrifices he has had to make over the last few months to focus on the Olympics. He said:
"I haven't spoken to my family members in almost two months. I haven't used social media for more than 18 months. My brother handles social media accounts. I want to dedicate my medal to all frontline workers and doctors who have fought during the COVID-19 pandemic"
"I started my coaching under Satpal Singh. Almost all Olympic and world championship medalists are trained under him. He is extremely supportive and takes good care of us."
Ravi Dahiya also thanked Hansraj Bhramachari, his first coach. Speaking on him, Ravi said:
"I started my wrestling journey under him, i was only five years old. He thought I was good at wrestling so he took me to Delhi."
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