Paris Olympics 2024: Reetika Hooda loses quarterfinal, out of gold medal contention

Published at :August 10, 2024 at 6:42 PM

Modified at :August 10, 2024 at 6:42 PM

(Courtesy : @ImTanujSingh/X)

Reetika Hooda will still be in contention for a bronze medal, if her opponent reaches the final.

Reetika Hooda’s journey at the Paris Olympics 2024 ended in heartbreak as she lost in the quarter-finals of the women’s 76kg wrestling event to top seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy from Kyrgyzstan. The match ended in a 1-1 tie, with both wrestlers earning points due to passivity warnings.

However, the Kyrgyz wrestler advanced because she scored her point after Reetika, a tiebreaker rule that worked against the Indian wrestler. Reetika will now hope that Aiperi reaches the final, making her eligible for a repechage bout.

Reetika, who turns 22 later this month, made history as the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics in the heavyweight category. Facing a formidable opponent in the quarter-finals, she fought bravely.

Aiperi Medet Kyzy, 25, has a distinguished record, including silver medals at the 2023 Belgrade and 2021 Oslo World Championships, a gold at the 2022 Asian Games and five medals at the Asian Championships. Aiperi, who missed a podium finish by a narrow margin at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is seeking redemption in Paris.

The match began with both wrestlers showing aggression. Aiperi made the first significant move with a single-leg attack, but Reetika defended well. The bout then became defensive, leading to passivity warnings for both. Reetika was awarded the first point after Aiperi failed to score within the 30-second passivity clock. Despite holding a slender lead, Reetika’s passivity allowed Aiperi to level the score. With the scores tied, Aiperi’s later point gave her the edge and she defended strongly to clinch the bout.

If Aiperi advances to the final, Reetika will get a chance to compete in the repechage round for a shot at the bronze medal. Her potential repechage opponent is Chinese wrestler Juan Wang, with the winner facing Blades Kennedy of the USA in the bronze medal match.

Earlier, Reetika secured her quarter-final spot by defeating eighth-seed Hungarian Bernadett Nagy in the Round of 16. Despite Nagy’s aggressive start, Reetika defended effectively and scored a series of takedowns, ultimately winning the bout via technical superiority with a 12-2 scoreline.

Paris Olympics 2024: Reetika Hooda loses quarterfinal, out of gold medal contention

Reetika Hooda will still be in contention for a bronze medal, if her opponent reaches the final.

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