Nagoya: Nitesh Siwach came within one bout of ending India’s 64-year wait for a Greco-Roman wrestling gold at the Asian Games, but had to settle for silver after Japan’s Yuri Nakazato won the men’s 97 kg final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center on Thursday. With the achievement, Nitesh became only the second Indian Greco-Roman wrestler in history to reach an Asian Games final, 64 years after Maruti Mane, who won the silver medal in the same weight category at the 1962 Asian Games.
While Nakazato denied India the top step of the podium, Nitesh’s run to the final marked a significant breakthrough. He became the first Indian since the 1962 Asian Games to reach a Greco-Roman wrestling final at the continental showpiece.
The gold-medal bout, however, proved a step too far for the Indian, who struggled to impose himself against a Japanese opponent determined to dictate the exchanges from the outset. IANS
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