Yogeshwar Dutt's Olympic Bronze to be converted to Silver

08/30/2016

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His wish to end on a high did not pan out at the Rio Olympics, but Yogeshwar Dutt received some unexpected help after his 2012 Olympic Bronze is set to be upgraded to Silver. The move comes after Russia’s Besik Kudukhov, who was the London silver-medalist, tested positive for banned drugs.

Yogeshwar Dutt had a remarkable Olympic journey in 2012. After losing to Russia’s Besik Kudukhov in the qualifiers, Yogeshwar received a second shot through repechage when the Russian reached the final of the 60kg freestyle event. Repechage is a rule where players who lost to the eventual finalists receive a chance to fight among themselves for the two bronze medals at stake.

Yogi then went on to clinch bronze defeating a tactically superior opponent in a splendid fight to become one of India's six medalists at London, and the second Indian wrestler after Sushil Kumar to claim an Olympic medal. But, he has equaled Sushil's other feat of an Olympic Silver with the latest development.

Russia’s Besik Kudukhov, the silver-medalist at 2012 after losing to Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan, had died in an accident in 2013, but his earlier samples tested positive for banned substances leading to the silver medal being stripped.

“Hearing into his case had been on in the CAS for a while but a decision has come only now. We are still waiting for a written communiqué,” a WFI official said.

Given Yogeshwar Dutt had lost to him in the early stages, he will be the one among the two bronze medalists who will now take home the Silver. With the feat, Yogeshwar also becomes the fifth-ever Indian to win an Olympic Silver.

The wrestler could not repeat his feat at the Rio Olympics as his aging body failed to take him over the Herculean task he had set himself, but the Silver medal will etch his name even higher in Indian Olympic history as he looks to sign off on a high.

Yogeshwar tweeted his reaction to the laurel earlier in the day.