Yogeshwar crashes out as India end campaign with two medals

By Tapan Mohanta Rio de Janeiro, Aug 21 (PTI) Experienced wrestlerYogeshwar Dutt, India’s last realistic medal hope on theconcluding day of the Olympics, crashed out after losing hisqualification bout as the country’s biggest-ever contingentbowed out of the Games with a paltry medal haul of two. Dutt, bronze medal winner in the previous Games in Londonfour years ago, failed to sign off his Olympic career with apodium finish, losing in the opening round to MongolianGanzorigiina Mandakhnaran whose quarterfinal defeat dashed theIndian’s hopes of a second career bronze through repechage. The other contenders on day 15 were three malemarathoners, two of whom managed to clock their personal besttimes. The end of the marathon race also spelt the end ofIndia’s campaign in this Brazilian city where they ended upwith a disappointing medal tally of one silver (P V Sindhu inwomen’s singles in badminton) and one bronze (woman 58kgcategory wrestler Sakshi Malik). In 2012 India had secured their highest medal tally froma single Games — six, without a gold — and there werepre-Games projections by the Sports Authority of India thatthe tally will be doubled here. But all those were dashed to the ground and India weresaved the blushes at the fag end of their campaign by twowomen who were never highlighted as medal hopes – Sindhu whogot the first-ever silver in badminton after Saina Nehwal’sbronze in London and Sakshi who secured the first-ever medalin women’s wrestling. Expectations were high from Yogeshwar after he was toutedas a strong medal prospect. But he looked a pale shadow of hisprevious gritty self in the 0-3 loss to Mandakhnaran in thequalification round bout. After his loss in the qualification, Yogeshwar’s onlyhope of making the medal round depended on his Mongolianopponent reaching the gold medal bout. MORE PTI TAP SSR PMSSR