World champion Mijain Lopez won Greco-Roman wrestling Olympic gold in the super-heavyweight category yesterday after Sweden’s Ara Abrahamian caused a scandal at the middleweight victory ceremony.
Disgusted with losing on points in the semi-finals against the later gold medalist Andrea Minguzzi, Abrahamian tossed his bronze medal onto the wrestling mat after receiving it and left.
“I don’t care about this medal. I think the semi-final shows that [the ruling body] FILA does not play fair. I didn’t deserve to lose. The system is corrupt,” the 2004 silver medalist Abrahamian said. “This will be my last match. I came here to win gold. And I didn’t. So I consider it a failure.”
PHOTO: AP
Swedish Olympic Committee chairman Stefan Lindeberg said he did not condone but “understood” Abrahamian’s protest which could lead to sanctions from the International Olympic Committee.
“It was inappropriate,” Lindeberg told Swedish radio. “I understand his feelings,[he] aimed for gold but was not given a fair chance.”
The bronze medals went to Mindaugas Mizgaitis of Lithuania and Yuri Patrikeev of Armenia.
Russia did better in the heavyweight division, with Aslanbek Khushtov defeating Mirko Englich in the gold medal bout after also beating the German at the last European championship final. Adam Wheeler of the US and Asset Mambetov of Kazakhstan earned bronze.
Khushtov was untroubled in a 2-0 decision as Englich conceded that “Khushtov is the best in the world.”
The Russian had an impressive campaign as he outscored his opponents 43-0 en route to the gold.
Minguzzi, meanwhile, was over the moon. He upset world and Olympic champion Aleksey Mishin in the quarter-finals, and, after the controversial win over Abrahamian, got gold with a 2-1 decision over Hungary’s Zoltan Fodor in a final of outsiders.
“To me, this is worth the world. I am ecstatic right now. I couldn’t be any happy,” said the delighted winner.
The bronze medals went to Namzi Avluca of Turkey and Abrahamian.
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