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On Saturday, August 10, Reetika Hooda, the Indian wrestler, suffered a tough defeat in the quarter-final of the women’s 76kg freestyle event against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan at the Paris Olympics 2024. At the Champ de Mars Arena, Reetika Hooda lost the bout despite the 1-1 scoreline because her opponent Aiperi Medet Kyzy got the last point on countback.
Across the two rounds of three minutes each, Reetika Hooda and Aiperi Medet Kyzy showcased great defence, not allowing one another to score takedown points. In the first round, Hooda earned a passivity point after Kyzy got a 30-second shot clock for not attacking enough.
With just a couple of minutes to go, Reetika Hooda found herself needing to score points after the referee applied a 30-second shot clock for lack of attacking play. But, just like Aiperi Medet Kyzy, she was unable to score points during the warning period, which led to her opponent levelling the scoreline at 1-1.
Reetika Hooda pushed forward in the final minute to get the much-needed takedown points, to secure her place in the semi-final of the women’s 76kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics 2024. But Aiperi Medet Kyzy managed to keep the Indian wrestler at bay, to inch a step closer to winning an Olympic medal.
Moreover, if the Kyrgyzstan wrestler manages to defeat Kennedy Blades of the USA in the semi-final, then Reetika Hooda will have a chance to win the bronze medal through the repechage rounds.
