Nitesh Siwach has etched his name in the history books on Thursday by becoming the first Indian to win a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games.
The 23-year-old faced Japan's Yuri Nakazato in the men's 97kg final on Thursday afternoon but could not get the better of his opponent. Before his achievement, India had won four bronze and two gold medals in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games.
Nitesh Siwach Loses 97kg Final
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Nitesh attempted a ‘two-on-one grip' from the beginning of the final, but Nakazato did not allow the Indian wrestler to make an attacking move.
The Japanese wrestler opened the scoring by pushing Nitesh out. Nitesh was then put into ground position for passivity, but he defended well and did not allow Nakazato to get a firm grip for a point-scoring gut wrench.
Nakazato ended the first period with a 2-0 lead, keeping Nitesh in a headlock position towards the end. The Japanese wrestler then disbalanced Nitesh with a push and converted the move into a successful takedown, extending his lead to 4-0.
With a minute remaining, Nitesh needed to attack, but Nakazato's defence did not give the Indian much opportunity. Nitesh eventually lost the final 0-4, but his silver medal marked a historic achievement for Indian Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games.
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Nitesh Siwach's Road To The Final
Nitesh had earlier powered into the men's 97kg final with a dominant technical-superiority victory on Thursday.
In the semi-final, the Asian championship silver medallist demolished Mongolia's Gankhuyang Ganbaatar 9-0 by technical superiority in the first three-minute period itself.
Nitesh produced two four-point throws from the ground position to finish the bout in emphatic fashion. Making full use of the draw, Nitesh had entered directly into the quarterfinals. He then defeated Turkmenistan's Amanberdi Agamammedov 7-1 to progress further in the competition.
India's Previous Greco-Roman Wrestling Golds
India have had limited success in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games.
In 1962, Malwa Singh in the 52kg category and Ganpat Andalkar in the +97kg category won gold medals in the Greco-Roman style in Jakarta.
Nitesh's silver on Thursday adds another significant achievement to India's Greco-Roman wrestling record at the Asian Games.
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