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The spells removed today meant that Riza Kayaalp, one of the most titled fighters among the favorites of the Olympics, will face in the first fight, in the weight category up to 130 kg in the eighth final. But the Lithuanians are not giving up.
“The opponent is strong, to this day one of the leaders in this weight class. But here the Olympics and the titles are not valid. Tomorrow we will rise and fight, giving all our strength for victory. We have a chance to win, but Mantas will have to show his best version, ”said Mindaugas Ežerskis, the coach of Lithuania’s Greco-Roman wrestling team, who himself fought in the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.
The Turk has already been on the podium twice in honor of the Olympic Games, in 2016. He won silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. In London – bronze. He has also become a four-time world champion and a nine-time European champion.
The duel between a 27-year-old Lithuanian and a four-year-old Turk will begin at 5 pm tomorrow Lithuanian time. These athletes have never met before.
Even after losing the first fight, the fighters still have the opportunity to extend the competition for the medals, but it is necessary for the opponent to win them to reach the final. Then there would be a consolation competition and a chance to win bronze. But the road to the final will be very difficult: In the semifinals, you may have to face the 38-year-old Cuban and three-time Olympic champion Mijain López. If defeated, the Cuban would fight for bronze with the winner of the first consolation match between the athletes who landed in the final and quarterfinals.
“I would like to be in the top five,” the Olympic rookie revealed his goal in Tokyo.
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