Ravi had won the silver medal following a hard-fought 7-4 loss against Russian and world champion Zaur Uguev in the men's 57kg freestyle final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Digital Desk: Olympic medalist from Tokyo and talented wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya Malik defeated Nigerian Ebikewenimo Welson 10-0 in the Men's Freestyle 57kg final on Sunday to win his first Commonwealth Games gold. Star Indian wrestler Dahiya was a cut above in the championship match as he didn't give up any points on his way to winning the gold medal in the 57kg division.
Notably, Ravi had won the silver medal following a hard-fought 7-4 loss against Russian and world champion Zaur Uguev in the men's 57kg freestyle final at the Tokyo Olympics. His silver in the men's 57kg freestyle competition marked India's first wrestling Olympic silver since Sushil Kumar's victory in London in 2012.
On the other hand, Pooja Gehlot, former world junior silver medalist, had to be satisfied with the bronze in the women's 50 kg freestyle wrestling competition. The 25-year-old Indian's first significant senior international medal came in the form of a podium place at Birmingham 2022.
The Scotswoman scored first in the medal match to grab a 2-0 lead, but Pooja Gehlot stormed back and scored 10 points in a row quickly to close out the opening frame. The Indian finished the fight shortly after it resumed, taking the victory thanks to his superior technical skills.
Born on December 12, 1997, in the Sonipat, Haryana, town of Nahri, Ravi Kumar Dahiya's early exposure to wrestling was scarcely unexpected. Soon after leaving home, a young Ravi Dahiya embarked on a journey that most famous Indian wrestlers follow today. The prized school for the gifted wrestlers of Indian wrestling, Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi, was his next stop.
At the Chhatrasal Stadium, famed coach Satpal Singh, who had also coached players like Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, had an impact on Ravi Dahiya. While coach Satpal was key in moulding Ravi into a top wrestler, his father, Rakesh Dahiya, also played a significant part in the wrestler's growth.
Rakesh Dahiya, a lease farmer without his own property, struggled mightily to make ends meet. Rakesh, though, was just as tenacious off the mat as Ravi is today when it came to supporting Ravi Dahiya's aspirations to compete in wrestling.
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