Indian wrestler Ravi Dahiya on Thursday won the country's second silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics after going down 4-7 to ROC's Zavur Uguev in the men's Freestyle 57kg final. It was India's fifth medal at the Tokyo Games. It was also India's sixth Olympic medal in wrestling and second silver - after Sushil Kumar in 2012. Despite losing the final, social media erupted in praise for the 23-year-old from Haryana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed him as a "remarkable wrestler" and congratulated him for his silver medal.
"Ravi Kumar Dahiya is a remarkable wrestler! His fighting spirit and tenacity are outstanding," PM Modi tweeted. "Congratulations to him for winning the Silver Medal at #Tokyo2020. India takes great pride in his accomplishments."
"Ravi Kumar Dahiya, you are Indian hero! You have made India proud by winning Olympic Silver medal," former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju - who is now the Law Minister - tweeted.
Here are some other reactions
Dahiya had pulled off a stunning comeback in his semifinal bout to reach the final. However, Uguev - a two-time world champion - was the favourite coming into the final.
Dahiya was trailing 2-4 after first period in the gold medal bout. Uguev then increased his lead to 7-2 but the Indian wrestler didn't give in and came roaring back to win two points and reduce the deficit to three points. Dahiya then went for the kill, looking to score more points but his Russian opponent's defence held firm.