The Hindu : Sport / Wrestling : Devastating display by Ramesh

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Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

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Devastating display by Ramesh

By Our Sports Reporter

JIND, JAN. 1. Ramesh Kumar set the mat ablaze with a devastating show in the 51st National wrestling championship in Nidani, near here on Saturday.

Former junior World champion Ramesh executed clean holds right from the start and left his opponent Sombir struggling for balance, in the final of the 74kg freestyle. Ramesh grasped Sombir's left leg within seconds of the start and threw him on the mat to score a point before yet another execution of hold earned to three more.

Railways' Ramesh, who had a miserable outing in Athens Olympics — not that much was expected from any Indian wrestler — was in fine form here. On a day when pale sun provided some respite from the blustery conditions of Friday, Ramesh built his lead in quick succession.

He won the first round and was even more menacing in the second — it was just an aberration that Haryana's Sombir managed to pull one back. Ramesh won 12-1 to win his first National title in the 74kg class after having moved up from 66kg.

Little time for rest

The new rules, which necessitates that each weight category starts and ends on the same day took the toll on the wrestlers. Made to contest series of bouts with little time for rest in between, unfit wrestlers made hasty retreat despite making it to the final.

Of the six finals scheduled for the day, there were three walkovers as wrestlers struggled either with injuries or fatigue.

Smarting under the non-appearance of Punjab, the organisers made hasty arrangements and ensured that at least Palwinder Singh Cheema figured here and his entry was accepted on the individual basis.

In the 120kg freestyle final against Rajeev Tomar, the clinches executed by the Railways grappler were more superior to the dazed-looking Cheema.

Tomar won the first round in sudden death before Cheema recovered in the next. The final round was evenly poised but Cheema enjoyed the one-point gift handed to him even after the mat official had belled the match. Railways' protest was shoved aside as the organisers hurried up with the medal ceremony.

The results (winners of repechage round win bronze medals):

Freestyle: 55kg: Final: Kripa Shankar (Rlys) w.o Anil Kumar (Del). Semifinals: Kripa Shankar bt Kuldeep Singh (Pun) 3-1; Anil Kumar bt Sandeep (Nidani) 9-0. Repechage: Shyam Lal (Ser) bt Kuldeep Singh fall; Sandeep bt Komal Kaushal (MP) 6-2.

74kg: Final: Ramesh Kumar (Rlys) bt Sombir (Har) 12-1. Semifinals: Ramesh bt Jiwan Annarao (Mah) 9-0; Sombir bt Narender (UP) 2-1. Repechage: Narender bt Sandeep (Nidani) 5-2; Ram Parvesh (Jhar) bt Rajesh (Del) 5-0.

120kg: Final: Palwinder Singh Cheema (Pun) bt Rajeev Tomar (Rlys) 4-3. Semifinals: Cheema bt Sohan Singh (Har) fall; Tomar bt Praveen (Nidani) fall. Repechage: Jagdish Kaliraman (UP) bt Sohan Singh fall; Praveen bt Pradeep (Del) 3-0.Greco-Roman:

55kg: Final: Joginder Pal (Chd) bt Naveen (Del) 4-0. Semifinals: Naveen bt Rajesh (Nidani) 6-0; Joginder bt Ajay Kumar (NCR) 2-0. Repechage: Rajesh bt Yashbir (Rlys) 2-0; Ajay Kumar w.o Sagerao (Mah).

74kg: Final: Gautam (Rlys) w.o Jitender (Del). Semifinals: Jitender bt Rajbir (TN) 2-0; Gautam bt Sanjay (Har) 2-2 (1-0). Repechage: Rajbir bt Chander Vijay (UP) 4-1; Sanjay w.o Surender (Chd).

120kg: Final: Virender (Rlys) w.o Vedpal (Nidani). Semifinals: Vedpal bt Sandeep (HP) 2-0; Virender bt Devender (Chd) fall. Repechage: Yogesh Dokad (Mah) bt Sandeep 2-0; Devender (Goa) bt Devender (Chd) fall.

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