Indian wrestler Hardeep Singh lost in his opening round of 16 match in the men's Greco-Roman 98 kg event, going down 1-2 against Turkey's Cenk Ildem. Singh battled hard in the second period of the game, reducing the deficit by one point, but failed to breach Cenk Ildem's defence.
Singh started on the front foot and tried to get a stranglehold of the game, going for Ildem's knee. There were two infringements within the first minute of the game, which showcased the Indian wrestler's aggressive intent. The former European championship bronze medalist was staunch on the floor and seconds later, landed the decisive move of the game. Just before the three-minute mark, Ildem got two points on the board with a superbly executed gut-wrench.
Singh got a point back in the second period to get back in the game back but Ildem held on and ran down the clock to register a place in the quarter-finals. Singh became the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to book a spot in the Olympics since Mausam Khatri in 2004.
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