Day 12, Tokyo Olympics LIVE: Women's Hockey Team Lose SF 1-2; Ravi Enters Final
2021 Tokyo Olympics Day 12 LIVE Updates: Indian women's hockey team to play GBR on Friday; Ravi Kumar Enters Final
Tokyo Olympics: Indian women's hockey team celebrates after scoring against Argentina
Image: PTI
Lovlina Borgohain won Bronze in the Women's Welterweight category.
Wrestler Ravi Kumar defeated Nurislam Sanayevin in a stunning comeback to enter Gold medal match slated for 5 August.
Deepak Punia Bronze medal match, Anshu Malik repechage round match on 5 August.
Neeraj Chopra qualified for javelin throw final, will be in action next on Saturday at 4.30 pm IST; Shivpal Singh was ousted.
Women's Hockey Team lost 1-2 in SF, to play Great Britain in bronze medal match on Friday, 6 August, at 2 pm IST.
Golfer Aditi Ashok Tied-2nd after round 1, Diksha Dagar Tied-56th.
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Lovlina Borgohain, Women's Hockey Team Just a Step Away From the Final
India has the opportunity to move one step closer to the much-coveted gold medal in not just one but two events today. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who has already assured herself and India a medal, will face Turkey's Busenaz Surmeneli, the reigning world champion, in the first semi-final at 11 am IST. A victory here will at least assure a second silver medal for India. The 23-year-old Indian pugilist from Golaghat, Assam, had won both her previous bouts on split decision: 3-2 against Germany's Nadine Apetz in their Round of 16 match and 4-1 against Chinese Taipei's Nien-Chin Chen in their quarter-final bout. Busenaz Surmeneli, however, had won both her previous bouts 5-0.
Later in the afternoon, at 3.30 pm IST, the Indian women's hockey team will take on Argentina in their first-ever semi-final at the Olympic Games. After starting their campaign on a poor note, with three losses on the trot, the Indian women bounced back with wins over Ireland and South Africa. A place in the quarter-final, however, was sealed only when Ireland lost their last group match to Great Britain. The Rani Rampal-led side then scored an upset 1-0 win over Australia in the quarter-final to book a place in the semis. Argentina, who had finished third in Group B with three wins out of five matches, thrashed Germany 3-0 in their quarter-final match. The winner of tomorrow's semi-final will at least guarantee a silver, if not gold, for their country. The loser will go on to play in the bronze medal match.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will start the day's proceedings in the qualification round at 5.35 am IST. The 23-year-old gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games, currently ranked 16th in the world, recorded his personal and season-best score of 88.07 in March earlier this year. He had sealed qualification in February 2020, at Potchefstroom, his first meet since October 2018, with a throw of 87.86m. The Olympic qualifying mark was 85m. However, he might face stiff competition from Germany's Johannes Vetter. Later in the morning, Shivpal Singh will participate in the Group B qualification round at 7.05 am.
Wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya will begin his campaign against Colombia's Tigreros Urbano in the men's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match at 8.21 am. The 2019 World Championship bronze medallist and reigning Asian champion should not face much difficulty in reaching at least the semi-finals. It will be a difficult opener for Anshu Malik, who will face European champion Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus in the women's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match at 8.28 am. At 8.49 am, Deepak Punia will compete against Nigeria's Ekerekeme Agiomor, the African championship bronze medallist, in the men's freestyle 86kg round of 16 match.
Very good morning to all. Welcome to The Quint's live coverage of Day 12 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra, one of India's star athletes, will be in action in group A of the men's javelin throw qualification round at 5.35 am IST, while his compatriot Shivpal Singh will start in Group B at 7.05 am IST.
The 23-year-old gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games, currently ranked 16th in the world, recorded his personal and season-best score of 88.07 in March earlier this year. He had sealed qualification in February 2020, at Potchefstroom, his first meet since October 2018, with a throw of 87.86m.
He will face tough competition from Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who has a personal best of 97.76m, and is widely seen as the favourite.
Golf: India's Aditi Ashok will soon be in action in round one of women's individual stroke play.
Javelin Throw: The athletes are currently warming up with some practice throws. Neeraj Chopra is slated to go 15th/16 in the starting order. A throw of 83.50m will result in automatic qualification or a finish in the top 12. There are 32 athletes across Group A & B in total. Each athlete will get three attempts each.
Javeline Throw: Romania's Alexandru Novac starts with a season best throw of 83.27m. Currently on top of the table. Five athletes are done with their first attempts. Germany's Johannes Vetter is 11th in the order.
Javelin Throw: Vetter is up next. He has a personal best of 97.76m. Starts with a 82.04 in his first attempt. Moves to 3rd place. Meanwhile, Sweden's Kim Amb has also posted a season best score of 82.40m and sits second on the table. Finland's Lassi Etelatalo becomes the first athlete to qualify for the final. Posts an 84.50m in his first attempt, which is also his season best.
Javelin Throw: Neeraj Chopra is up next. HE STARTS WITH 86.65m IN HIS FIRST ATTEMPT AND HAS QUALIFIED TO THE FINAL ROUND. Currently sitting on top of the table. Two athletes have qualified so far from Group A. Finland's Lassi Etelatalo was the first with a throw of 84.50m.
Chopra breached the 83.50m with relative ease. The 23-year-old was cheered on by the small Indian contingent in the stands.
Javelin Throw: Neeraj Chopra has exited the stadium. He will be in action next on Saturday, 7 August, at 4.30 pm IST in the FINAL! What a start to the morning! Sensational stuff by the debutant in his debut throw.
Shivpal Singh will compete in Group B at 7.05 am IST.
Meanwhile, Vetter manages a throw of 82.08m in his second attempt. Slight improvement from his first. Only two athletes have qualified from Group A so far.
Vetter has done it. Qualifies with an 85.64m throw - the second-best after Neeraj's in Group A.
Golf: Aditi Ashok is now in action in round one of women's individual stroke play. Has gone through Hole 4 and is on Par. Currently tied 11th.
Diksha Dagar is yet to start.
Up Next
Men's Javelin Throw: India's Shivpal Singh will compete in Group B at 7.05 am IST. The world no.18's personal best is 86.23m, while his best this season is 81.63m. He needs to better that today. Needs to cross or meet the 83.50m mark for automatic qualification. He is slated to start 6th in the order.
The 26-year-old had qualified for the Olympics with a throw of 85.47m.
Can he also qualify in his very first throw?
Men's Javelin Throw: 11 out of 16 athletes in Group B have a better personal-best and season-best score than Shivpal Singh.
Men's Javelin Throw: And we are underway. Reminder: Each athlete will get three attempts each. The mark for automatic qualification is 83.50m. The top 12 athletes from Group A & Group B will qualify to the final. Three, including India's Neeraj Chopra, had automatically qualified from Group A.
Men's Javelin Throw: Shivpal Singh is up next. He starts with a throw of 76.40m. Moves to fourth place. Two more attempts to go for the Indian making his debut at the Olympics.
Republic of Moldova's Andrian Mardare has managed the best throw so far from Group B - 80.69m. No other athlete has crossed 80. Eight more athletes are yet to attempt their first throw.
Men's Javelin Throw: 15 out of 16 athletes from Group A have a better score than Shivapal's 76.40m. Still early days though. He has two more attempts left. He moves to 6th after Grenada's Anderson Peters registers a throw of 80.42m.
Men's Javelin Throw: Germany's Julian Weber becomes the first athlete from Group B to qualify for the final with a throw of 84.41m. Shivpal is placed 7th.
Men's Javelin Throw: Second attempt for Shivpal Singh on now. 74.80m. Lower than his first attempt. Moves to 10th place. Not looking good for Shivpal here. Needs a miracle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem becomes the second athlete from Group B to qualify for the final. He is topping the table with a throw of 85.16m in his second attempt. Thr third best score of the morning so far.
Men's Javelin Throw: Shivpal Singh in his third attempt now. 74.81m. Slightly better than his second attempt. His first attempt of 76.40m remains his best, which means he won't qualify to the final as 10 men in Group B and 15 in Group A have a better score than his. And only the top 12 qualify. He needed to cross 81.73m. Currently placed 11th in Group B. Five men, including India's Neeraj Chopra, automatically qualified to the final.
Golf: Aditi Ashok is one-under thorugh Hole 7 and is tied-7th. Diksha Dagar is through Hole 1 and is on Par. Tied-21st.
Up Next
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Dahiya will begin his campaign against Colombia's Tigreros Urbano in the men's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match.
Men's Javelin Throw: India's Neeraj Chopra (86.65m), Germany's Johannes Vetter (85.64m), Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (85.16m), Finland's Lassi Etelatalo (84.50m), Germany's Julian Weber (84.41m), Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch (84.93m) were the six automatic qualifiers from Group A & B. The final will be held on Saturday, 7 August, at 4.30 pm IST.
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Dahiya's round of 16 match against Colombia's Tigreros Urbano in the men's freestyle 57kg category begins. The Colombian is out first. World No.4 Ravi Kumar Dahiya is out next. The 2019 World Championship bronze medallist and reigning Asian champion should not face much difficulty in reaching at least the semi-finals.
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Dahiya keeping the pressure on the Colombian. Looking sharp here. Goes 2-0 up. All over the Colombian. Just over a minute to go. Urbano unable to defend. Urbano with the charge, however, Dahiya tries to defend it. 2-2. Ravi is going for the leg-attack. Four seconds left. Ravi is in the lead 3-2.
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Dahiya goes 5-2 up. Double-leg takedown. Now taking control of the bout. 9-2. Enjoying a seven point lead. Difficult for the Colombian to come back in this bout. 11-2 now. Dahiya is getting better and better with each passing moment. Has been dominant, clocking 8 points in the last 1.5 minutes. And he has won 13-2 by technical superiority.
Up Next
Wrestling: Anshu Malik's women's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match against Belarus' Iryna Kurachkina. It is a difficult opener for Anshu Malik as she is facing the European champion.
Wrestling: Anshu Malik's women's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match against Belarus' Iryna Kurachkina begins. World No.3 Iryna is out first. Anshu, 19, is out next. Her 20th birthday is tomorrow.
Wrestling: Anshu Malik is trying to get a grip on the seasoned campaigner. Aggressive start by her. Looking to go for the single-leg attack. Strong grip by the Bulgarian. Iryna goes 1-0 up. Out of bounds and another point for Iryna. A single-leg takedown by Iryna and she gets 2 points. 4-0.
Wrestling: First points for Anshu. Takes Iryna out of bounds. 4-1. Another point for Anshu. 4-2. Still alive in the game. Over a minute and a half left in the match. Anhsu goes for a single leg takedown, but the world no.3 counters. Two more points for her. 6-2. Iryna wins the match 8-2 by points.
It was a tough draw for Anshu. She put up a good fight in her debut Olympics. The repechage route is still open for her though.
Up Next
Wrestling: Deepak Punia's men's freestyle 86kg round of 16 match against Nigeria's Ekerekeme Agiomor, the African championship bronze medallist.
Golf Update: Aditi Ashok is two-under through Hole 10 and is T-6th. Diksha Dagar is on par going through Hole 4 and is T-22nd.
Wrestling: World No. 2 Deepak Punia's men's freestyle 86kg round of 16 match begins. He is one of the favourites in this category.
Wrestling: Punia goes for the single-leg attack but could not turn him fast enough. Agiomor now goes for the single-leg attack but Punia defends. Attacking wrestling now by Punia. Pushes him out of bounds. A takedown. 2 points for Punia. Superb defending by Punia. Agiomor takes Punia out of bounds. 2-1. Two more points for Punia as he manages a takedown. Finishes the first period 4-1.
Wrestling: Another point for Punia. Pushes Agiomore out of bounds. 5-1. A pickup and roll. 7-1. Just too good for Agiomor. In complete control of the match. Agiomor targetting Punia's right leg. Another push out of bounds. 8-1. Just a minute left now. Completes a roll and Punia wins 12-1 through technical superiority.
Wrestling Update: Both, Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia, have advanced to the quarter-finals. Dahiya won his men's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match 13-2 by technical superiority. Will face Bulgaria's Georgi Valentinov Vangelov next. Punia won his men's freestyle 86kg round of 16 match 12-1 by technical superiority. Will face China's Zushen Lin next.
However, Anshu Malik, in her debut Olympic Games, lost her women's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match 8-2.
Golf: Aditi Ashok is 2-under through hole 12, and is T-7th. Diksha is going one-over through hole 6, and is T-35th.
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Dahiya wins his quarter-final match against Bulgaria's Georgi Valentinov Vangelov 14-4. He won on technical superiority yet again and will take on Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev in the semi-finals at 2.45 pm IST.
Deepak Punia is in action against China's Zushen Lin in the men's freestyle 86kg quarter-final!
Wrestling: World No. 2 Deepak Punia advances to the semi-finals with a 6-3 win over Zushen Lin. Punia scored 2 points, the winning points, after a lift and takedown right at the buzzer. China challenged the decision but lost it. He will now face a huge challenge in USA's David Taylor in the semi-finals at 3 pm IST.
Quick Recap: A great start to the morning of Day 12 of the Tokyo Olympics for India. Neeraj Chopra qualified the javelin throw final with the day's best throw of 86.65m. Later, wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia won heir respective round of 16 and quarter-final matches and advanced into the semi-finals.
While Anshu Malik, in her debut Olympic Games, lost her women's freestyle 57kg round of 16 match 8-2. However, she will now compete in repechage round as her opponent from first-round, Iryna Kurachkina, entered the semi-finals.
Up-next is the much-awaited Women’s 69kg Semi-Final where Lovlina Borgohain will face Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey at 11 am. The Quint is at her home in Assam where her family is getting ready for the big bout. But also, her village is making preparations to welcome back their Olympic medallist neighbour.
Boxing: Up next is India's Lovlina Borgohain against Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in her semi-final bout. India's assured of a medal, what will be the colour though? This is her first Olympic Games.
Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain vs Busenaz Surmeneli: SF
It's time for the bout we have been all waiting for. Lovlina is all set to walk into the ring for her semi-final against the top seed in the competition.
Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain vs Busenaz Surmeneli: SF
Round 1: Fantastic start to the bout by the Indian who kept the top seed from attacking from the get go. Lovlina was not one to get bullied and did her best to keep the Turkish at arm's length and even picked up a warning for punching when asked to stop. Surmeneli however just upped the ante in the last 30 seconds to take the round comprehensively.
Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain vs Busenaz Surmeneli: SF
Round 2: Lovlina giving it her absolute all, landing a few solid punches but Surmeneli was too good yet again. The top seed, in red, managed the round well and got the judges' approval yet again. It's almost impossible for Lovlina to win this now.
Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain vs Busenaz Surmeneli: SF
Round 3: Lovlina fancied the impossible in the final round, putting up a brave fightback and bringing a bit more fire with her back to the wall. Surmeneli too helped herself to some quick points in the round with a few solid left hooks. She had momentum on her side and it was always going to be tough for Lovlina.
Surmeneli won by points 5-0.
Lovlina Borgohain Wins Bronze
Lovlina Borgohain has won the Bronze Medal in the women's welterweight division after she lost her semi-final bout to the world number 1 Busenaz Surmeneli from Turkey.
This is India's third medal and the only one for the Boxing contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Golf: India's Aditi Ashok is tied second after the first round with a score of 67, 4 under par. She's one off the lead and has a couple of more rounds to go. She was leading the pack at one point too.
She trails Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom by a shot in the individual stroke play event. Diksha Dagar is presently tied 55th after 14 holes for a score of 4-over.
Wrestling Semi-finals
Ravi Kumar Dahiya will be up against Nurislam Sanayev up first for India.
Wrestling SF: Ravi Kumar vs Nurislam Sanayev
Ravi gets a point docked early on in the bout due to passivity but that's got him going seemingly as he edges in front by the end of the first round. The scores stand at 2-1 after a rather cagey and watchful first round.
Wrestling SF: Ravi Kumar vs Nurislam Sanayev
Sanayev, in a matter of seconds, catches Ravi in an ankle lock and turns him a few times and the Indian can do nothing other than concede points rapidly. Sanayev finishes that play with the score at 9-2, making it quite the task for the Indian.
Ravi however fights back with a couple of points and the Kazakh delegation watch on closely as the Sanayev seems in quite a bit of discomfort on the edge of the mat.
With the momentum with the Indian, Kumar pins down Sanayev and advances to the Gold medal contest.
Wrestling: Ravi Kumar Assured of Medal
India's Ravi Kumar has seen off the Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev as he wins by pinning his opponent down.
Ravi Kumar will take home at least a Silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics. The Gold medal match is on 5 August. He's the first to enter a Wrestling final since Sushil Kumar in 2012.
Wrestling SF: Deepak Punia vs David Morris Taylor III – Men’s 86kg Category
Deepak Punia will be hoping to emulate Ravi Kumar's achievement and add to India's medal tally.
Wrestling SF: Deepak Punia vs David Morris Taylor III – Men’s 86kg Category
Deepak Punia, like Ravi Kumar, gets warned for a passive approach and has the clock put out against him, and he concedes a point too against the American. Taylor however is all over Deepak and is trailing 9-0.
And Taylor has won the semi-final by technical superiority, wins 10-0.
Deepak Punia will now play for Bronze.
Hockey: India vs Argentina SF Begins
Can the Indian women's hockey team create history and defeat Argentina for a spot in the Gold medal match?
Hockey: First circle entry and a PC for India. GOALLLLL!!! INDIA GO 1-0 UP. STUNNING DRAG-FLICK BY GURJIT KAUR. Take the lead after just 1.5 minutes.
Hockey: Argentina on the counter-attack. Monika saves the day for India. Superb defending in the D. This Indian team is playing with a lot of confidence right now. Again a dangerous attack by Argentina but once again good defending by Monika and Grace Ekka. A barrage of attacks by Argentina and now they have a PC. Salima Tete, the first rusher, blocks it. Still 1-0. What an action-packed start!
Hockey: Over two minutes left in Q1. Argentina has been on the attack ever since India scored their first goal. Their defence is being tested. And another good save by Sushila. Navneet has collided with Argentina's Augustina Gorzelany. A clash of heads. Both are currently out of the field for medical attention. End of Q1. Full of action. India lead 1-0.
Hockey: Q2 begins. Free hit won by Argentina but the ball is back to India. Oh, dear! A PC for Argentina. Still 1-0. Argentina went for a variation. Good defending by India.
Argentina on the attack again. Well-defended by Savita. PC No. 3 for Argentina. And they have scored. 1-1. It's their captain Maria Barrionuevo. Argentina has been putting India under pressure. The momentum is currently with them.
India on the attack now. Lovely pass from Vandana Katariya into the D to Lalremsiami, but she fails to trap it! What a chance that was.
Hockey: Good defending by Maria Succi, who saves Gurjit's shot. Another PC for India. Poor shot. And one more PC for India. Two Argentinian players still had their masks on. Rules say masks have to come off. It has been referred by Argentina. And it's not a PC. They keep their referral. 1-1. Over 3 minutes left now.
Hockey: And now a PC for Argentina. Sushila has given away one more PC to them. Drag-flick taken. Well-defended.
Good defending by India. Free hit for India. Consistent attacking from the left flanks by Aregntina.
Chance for Neha. Her reverse tomahawk is blocked by the defenders. India ask for a PC. Turned down by the umpire.
End of Q2. Half-time. The game is level 1-1.
Hockey: Q3 begins. 1-1. Free hit for India. Aregntina dominating possession again. A good run by Agustina Albertarrio. Takes a reverse hit. Hit the top of the shin pad of the Indian defender. Asks for a PC. Denied by the umpire. Argentina ask for a referral. PC denied. 1-1. India still struggling with the possession in the midfield. Sharmila on a good run from the left flank but fails to find any support.
Hockey: Argentina attacking from the right now. A circle penetration. And a PC for Argentina. Strong start by them. Saved by Selima Tete. Another PC for Argentina though. And they have scored. 2-1. India have asked for a referral. The shot was deflected from Sushila's knee. Below or above the knee is being checked. Will it be called dangerous play? The goal stands. 2-1.
Hockey: India really need to up their game now. Alerbtarrio has been troubling India from the left flank again and again. A green card for Neha. India down to 10 women for 2 minutes. A number of substitutions in for India. India trying to attack from the left. Less than five minutes left in Q3. Neha is back on the field. Positive play by India now. Salima crosses inside the circle from the left. Pressing hard. Have been better in Q3. And the hooters goes off. End of Q3. India trailing 1-2.
Hockey: Q4 begins. Last 15 minutes. Rani Rampal wins a free hit just outside the circle. Argentinian defence saved it. Start on a positive note.
Free hit won by India. Looking for an opening up-front. Argentinian defence have not made it easy.
THAT WAS CLOSE. Fantastic 1-2 by India. Lalremsiami shoots at goal but the goalkeeper saves it.
Hockey: PC for India. Thanks to an Argentinian defence error. Gurjit Kaur's shot to the right is saved by the goalkeeper. Super save! India in the D again. On the attack. Less than 8 minutes left.
Victoria Sauze in India's D but the defence somehow manages to save it. Argentina attacking now. AND SAVITA SAVES THE DAY FOR INDIA. Deflects a cross from the right. Less than five minutes left now.
Hockey: Indian defence and midfield need to up their game and put pressure on Argentina. Argentina building an attack now. Free hit for them. Dominating right now. Albertarrio shoots from the left but her shot is far and wide. Not a threat. Free hit for India. Now an attack from the right. Nice pass into the D but to no avail. Last 60 seconds left now.
Free hit for India. Navneet Kaur's deflection is saved by the Argentinian. THAT WAS CLOSE! India ask for a PC. Referral is still going on. 17 seconds left. And it's not a PC. India is asking for a long corner and get it.
Hockey: Argentina not happy with the long corner decision. Free hit for Argentina and they hit it long. And it's all over. India have lost the match 1-2.
Hockey: India will now play Great Britain in the bronze level match on Friday, 6 August at 2 pm IST.
Meanwhile, Argentina will take on the Netherlands in the final.
Day 12 Recap
That's the end of Day 12's proceedings.
India started Day 12 on a high note thanks to Neeraj Chopra's 86.65m throw in his first attempt in the javelin throw qualification round. He will now be in action next on Saturday at 4.30 pm IST. Meanwhile, Shivpal Singh failed to qualify to the final.
Wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya was at his best today, winning his round of 16 match 13-2, quarter-final match 14-4, and sem-final by pinning his opponent down.
He will take home at least a Silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics. The Gold medal match is on 5 August. He's the first Indian to enter a Wrestling final since Sushil Kumar in 2012.
Deepak Punia too started well, winning his round of 16 match 12-1, quarter-final 6-3, but lost his semi-final bout 10-0. He will fight for the bronze medal.
Anshu Malik, who had a tough draw, lost her round of 16 match 8-2 but will have another go at the bronze, via repechage.
Boxer Lovlina Borgohain lost her semi-final bout to the world champion Busenaz Surmeneli but won the Bronze medal.
Women's hockey team lost their semi-final match against Argentina 1-2. They will now play Great Britain on Friday at 2 pm IST for Bronze.
Golfer Aditi Ashok finished round 1 tied 2nd.
We will come back live tomorrow with all the action from Day 13 of the Tokyo Olympics.