Poland Open Wrestling Ranking Series: Ravi Dahiya settles for silver medal, leg defence a big concern ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Olympic-bound wrestler Ravi Dahiya had to settle for a silver medal at the Poland Open Ranking Series on Wednesday, after he suffered a 5-3 loss to junior world medallist, Uzbekistan's Gulomjon Abdullaev.
His leg defense will be a big concern for head coach Jagmender ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, as it was one weakness every opponent tried to take advantage of in Warsaw. While Ravi Dahiya managed to sail through against his initial opponents courtesy of his superior stamina, he fell short in the final.
Ravi Dahiya's sails through despite shaky defense
Competing in his third competition since the resumption of the sport after the forced break due to Covid-19, Ravi Dahiya began his Warsaw campaign dominantly. He defeated Abduallaev, the same opponent he faced in the final, with an easy 10-1 win in the first round.
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However, he had to push harder to sail through a stormy second round. The 2019 world bronze medallist trailed 8-0 against Kazakhstahn’s Adlan Askarov before making an impressive comeback.
This was Ravi Dahiya’s most challenging bout. Askarov, the Asian silver medallist, had stunned the Indian wrestler with a slew of double leg-attacks, which Ravi Dahiya had no answer to. To add to his worries, the Kazak was immaculate in his defense too.
But as he lost stamina, Ravi Dahiya picked up the pace to pull off a series of take-downs and scored 13 points in the process. He won 13-8.
He sealed the semi-final spot with a 9-5 victory over American wrestler Nathan Khalid Tomasello, who like Ravi Dahiya, usually competes in 57 kg. However, even this was not an easy victory.
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Ravi Dahiya’s shaky leg defense and slow start to the bout cost him five points. But his stamina pulled him through yet again.
Ravi Dahiya's weakness exposed in the final
The current world No.2, Ravi Dahiya, reached the final with a comeback victory over Iran’s Reza Ahmadali Atrinagharchi. Ending the first round level at 2-2, the Indian grappler once again found himself trailing. He switched gears in the final two minutes and pulled off his second comeback victory. He won 7-4.
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But his shaky leg defense got exposed in the final. The relentless attack aimed at his leg was too much for Ravi Dahiya to handle. At his one month camp in Warsaw, his leg defense will likely be the key focus in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.