April 24 2016, 18.46 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
The 57 kg wrestler, part of the Bengaluru Yodhas outfit, defeated Ukraine's Andriy Yatsenko at the World Olympic Qualifiers to win bronze
24th April, 2016, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: A confident and tenacious display from JSW backed 24-year-old Sandeep Tomar helped him clinch a quota place for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in freestyle wrestling's 57 kg category on Sunday in the World Olympic Qualifiers at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Tomar defeated Ukraine's Andriy Yatsenko 11-0 in the bronze medal qualifier to pick up one of three quotas available in the weight category.
Tomar joins fellow JSW Sports Excellence Program beneficiary Narsingh Yadav and London 2012 bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt in having won quotas for August's Summer Olympics.
Tomar was unlucky to miss out on the finals after he narrowly lost to Mirajal Hasan-Zada of Azerbaijan in the last ten seconds of his semi-final bout after the score was tied at 8-8.
Earlier in the day, Tomar, who also turned out for Bengaluru Yodhas in the 2015 edition of the Pro Wrestling League, began his campaign in clinical fashion, thumping two-time World Championship medalist Sezar Agkul of Turkey 11-0 in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, a composed display against Kyrgyzstan's Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov saw the 24-year-old grappler record a 4-1 victory to set up a semi-final date against Hasan-Zada.
Having narrowly lost in the semi-final, Sandeep then proceeded to demolish Moldova's Alexandru Chirtoaca 10-0 which earned him a shot against Yatsenko with the Olympic quota at stake.
"I am overjoyed at winning the quota and I think the hard yards that I put in before this qualifier have paid off. I was a little disappointed at having missed out on the final but it was important to eliminate that loss from my thinking as soon as possible. I was moving well today, I knew that if I kept my opponent busy and engaged, I would have a good chance. Now, all I have to do is to focus on the Olympics and these next three months are going to be extremely crucial," said Tomar.