Tokyo: Armenian wrestler loses first bout but medal hopes still alive

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian freestyle wrestler Vazgen Tevanyan (65 kg), who claimed the 2020 Individual World Cup, lost his first bout at the Olympics to the Russian Gadzhimurad Rashidov, the reigning world champion, but could still fight for bronze.

In the first half of the bout, Rashidov secured just one point, but in the second, the more experienced wrestler gathered all his skill and strength and achieved an advantage of six points.

Despite the defeat, Tevanyan still has a chance of winning a bronze medal: if Rashidov makes his way to the final, the Armenian wrestler will get opportunity to hold a repechage match.

In wrestling, if you lose against someone who goes on to be a finalist in your category, you become active again and will have repechage matches. There are two separated groups of repechage: one group of wrestlers who lost against the first finalist, and another group of wrestlers who lost against the second finalist. The repechage matches begin with wrestlers who lost in the first round against one of the two finalists up until two to the losers in the semi-finals by direct elimination.

The Armenian Olympic team has already won four medals: Boxer Hovhannes Bachkov and gymnast Artur Davtyan have secured a bronze medal each, while weightlifter Simon Martirosyan and wrestler Artur Aleksanyan have snatched silver.