Tokyo 2020, Wrestling: Bajrang to face Akmataliev in opener, Seema could face top-seed in quarters

While he starts his Tokyo 2020 campaign against a relatively easy opponent on Friday (August 6), second-seeded Bajrang, who is making his Olympics debut, could either face Asian championships bronze-medallist Morteza Ghiasi of Iran or Tunisia’s Haithem Dakhlaoui in the 1/4 Final.

Bajrang, who is 2018 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, is expected to win both those bouts, but the Indian wrestler, who is expected to win a medal, starts his real challenge in the semi-finals.

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The 27-year-old could be up against a Rio 2016 bronze-medallist in the 57kg and a three-time world champion in the 61kg category, Azerbaijan’s Haji Aliyev, who faces Senegal’s Adama Diatta in his campaign opener.

Another potential opponent for Bajrang in the semis is a world championships silver-medallist and 2018 Asian champion from Kazakhstan, Daulet Niyazkebov, who is set to face Alejandro Valdes of Cuba in his 1/8 Final.

Bajrang will, however, be happy to avoid Japan’s Takuto Otoguro, who he is failed to beat in two meetings so far, and top seed from ROC Gadzhimurad Rashidov. The Indian could, however, face either one of them in the final.

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Meanwhile, another Indian wrestler Seema Bisla, who is set to open her campaign against Tunisia’s Sarra Hamdi in the 1/8 Final of the women’s 50kg freestyle, could be up against top seed Mariya Stadnik – a three-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion – in the quarter-finals.

And if she upsets the top seed, Seema could either face the winner of Japan’s Yui Susaki vs Mongolia’s Tsogt-Ochiryn Namuuntsetseg or the winner of Ecuador’s Lucia Yepez vs fourth seed Valentina Islamova of Kazakhstan, whom the Indian has lost to earlier this year.