Sport - Olympic Games

Terrific day for Sahin and Turkey

BEIJING: World champion Ramazan Sahin of Turkey won the gold medal in the wrestling freestyle 66-kg category after a tight contest with Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine.

Sahin, also the European champion, won 2-2, 2-1, 2-2. He lost the first period on a tie-breaker when Stadnik scored the final points of the period but won the third when he scored last.

“The last moment, when we were tied 2-2, I told myself I should hold until the last minute, and I won,” Sahin said. “I’ve lost to him before, but I felt quite relaxed and confident that I could win.”

Stadnik said, “I tried to find the reserve to win but, in the end, I did not manage to.”

That’s two wrestling medals for two countries for the Stadniks in Beijing — his wife Mariya Stadnik won a bronze in the 48-kg section for Azerbaijan. She stood in the stands during her husband’s match, screaming so loudly that she could frequently be heard over the spectators.

“My wife has won bronze here, while I have won silver,” he said. “It’s nice to realise that you compete against your own wife.”

Sahin (25) started the day with perhaps his most important victory, defeating Geandry Garzon of Cuba 1-0, 7-4 in a rematch of their 2007 World championship final. After that, he took out two-time World junior champion Mehdi Taghavi of Iran and Georgia’s Otar Tushishvili.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Buvaysa Saytiev won his third gold in his fourth Olympics. The rangy 33-year-old sealed the 74-kg title with a win over Soslan Tigiev of Uzbekistan.— Agencies

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