August 05, (THEWILL) – In the second biting incident on record at the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev was seen catching a portion of his opponent India’s Ravi Kumar Dahiya arm between his canines in the semi-final of the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling event.
The bizarre act was clearly caught on camera with Sanayev teeth in the arm of Dahiya after which a visibly painful mark was left on the arm of the Indian wrestler, where the opponent’s dentition had done some damage.
The semi-final was not going as Sanayev, the two-time world wrestling champion, expected.
Dahiya had progressed steadily to create an upset and was on top in the thrilling encounter. The frustration must have got the better part of the Kazakhstan wrestler.
That is why the match will be remembered for that absolutely shocking moment when Sanayev bit his opponent. The brilliant Indian had overturned a 9-2 deficit and had Sanayev pinned to the mat with little wriggle room. It was then that Sanayev sunk his teeth into Dahiya’s bicep, leaving a nasty mark.
The resilient Indian still held on despite the bite and refused to release his takedown to take the victory. The teeth marks were clear in pictures that showed the extent of the injury and Dahiya needed an ice pack for the bite. Resolutely, the Indian went on to compete in the final, where he narrowly lost to Zaur Uguev of Russia.
In post-match comments, Dahiya admitted he was frustrated with his performance against Sanayev and the opponent’s lead he had to catch up for. He made no mention of the biting incident, preferring instead to simply focus on the final against Uguev.
He told Press Trust of India: “I had no business conceding that much lead against Sanayev. I am not happy with it. I still have some unfinished business to do. I came with a target here and that is not complete yet.”
THEWILL recalls how Morocco’s Youness Baalla tried to latch onto New Zealand’s David Nyika ear during their boxing clash but for the reflexes of the New Zealander and the fact that his sweaty body allowed him to manoeuvre quickly away from the offensive snapping teeth.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
