Paris Olympics 2024 Wrestling: Injured Nisha Dahiya shows valiant effort, but campaign ends in tears
PTC News Desk: Nisha Dahiya, an Indian wrestler, suffered excruciating pain and injury during her quarterfinal match on Monday in the women's 68kg division of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 25-year-old Indian wrestler lost 10-8 against 18-year-old Pak Sol Gum of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the quarterfinals. The wrestler had hefty strappings on her right hand during the match. Later, in the women's 68kg freestyle semi-finals, Pak Sol Gum was defeated by Amit Elor of the USA due to technical superiority, which put an end to Nisha's hopes of winning a bronze medal via the repechage round.
The 2023 Asian Championship silver medallist Dahiya got off to a fast start in her quarterfinal match. The Indian wrestler took an early 8-2 lead but was forced to take breaks for her broken hand.
Struggling with the agony and strong feelings, she adopted a defensive tactic to safeguard her edge. But Pak Sol Gum took advantage of the situation, earning eight points in a row to guarantee her spot in the wrestling semifinals.
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Nisha was brought to a medical facility within the Games Village for a scan following the match. Nisha had suffered a serious injury to her shoulder, it was subsequently discovered. The Indian Olympic Association released a statement saying, "Further testing will determine the course of her treatment."
In the first round, Nisha Dahiya upset fifth-seeded Tetiana Rizhko of Ukraine with a thrilling 6-4 victory.
Nisha initiated the attack and gained a point for her early takedown attempt. But after the first round, Rizhko rallied with two 2-pointers and a 4-1 lead.
In the first ten seconds of the second round, Nisha scored two points, and when Rizhko left the game, she added another. With 11 seconds remaining, Nisha reversed the roles and won the match 6-4. The scores were still tied at 4-4.
Vinesh Phogat, the gold champion from the Commonwealth Games, will start her campaign on Tuesday in the women's 50kg division. There are six Indian wrestlers participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.