NEW DELHI: Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya, after missing entire 2023 season due to injuries, made a comeback by securing a bronze medal at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix wrestling tournament in Nice, France.
Dahiya won men's 61kg freestyle bronze medal bout 10-4 against Kairat Amirtayev of Kazakhstan.
Dahiya overcame Julien Zinser of Germany in the round of 16 via technical superiority (13-2) followed by a 12-6 win over Zangar Kabylbekov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal.
Despite his strong performance, the Indian wrestler faced a setback in the semifinal, experiencing a 6-3 defeat against Arman Eloyan of France. As a result, Dahiya entered the bronze medal bout.
The 26-year-old last competed on the international stage at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the Asian Championships in April 2023 due to injuries to his right knee, specifically the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), which he sustained during a practice session in February.