Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who failed to win a match at Rio Olympics 2016, might have some very good news waiting for him. His London Olympics 2012 bronze medal shall be upgraded to silver medal after the second-place finisher, the late Besik Kudukhov (60kg) of Russia, tested positive for doping.
According to the Russian agency, the four-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Kudukhov’s sample tested positive for a banned substance by the WADA(World Anti Doping Agency). Russian wrestler Besik Kudukhov had died in a car crash in 2013 in southern Russia.
As a result, Yogeshwar Dutt may upgraded from bronze to silver and join wrestler Sushil Kumar as another silver medalist from the London Olympics 2012. Yogeshwar Dutt had won a bronze medal in men’s 60 kg freestyle category in London Games 2012.
Former Indian wrestler – Jagdish Kaliraman told NDTV that If a medalist has tested positive in doping test for a banned substance, then it is a standard procedure to give his medal to the next best athlete. However, WADA has to inform the WFI(Wrestling Federation of India),United World Wrestling and International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the development. It might take some time for Yogeshwar to get the silver medal.
No body has confirmed the failed dope test of the Russian wrestler and until that is done no official announcement will be made.
The WFI told The Hindu that they had been informed about the decision. However, They are yet to make an official announcement as the written confirmation from the IOC(International Olympic Committee) has not yet arrived.
Whether and when Yogeshwar would be handed a silver medal will be confirmed only when the WFI gets it in writing from the World body(UWW). Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt had bowed out in the first round of men’s 65 kg freestyle at the recently concluded Rio Olympic Games 2016.
The samples of five wrestlers, including Uzbekistan’s Artur Taymazov’s(120) and Russia’s Besik Kudukhov (60 kg) have tested positive for banned substances. Kudukhov failed a dope test in re-tests of samples collected during the London Games 2012. In Taymazov’s case, the re-tests date back to samples collected from the Beijing Games (2008). Taymazon is a gold medal winner and Kudukhov silver medalist. They will lose their medals.
The Indian Express told that As per the source in United World Wrestling, Yogeshwar Dutt will get the silver medal, after Kudukhov testing positive.
In London Olympics Games 2012, Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt lost his pre-quarterfinal to Kudukhov. The Russian wrestler Kudukhov reached the final. Yogeshwar got another opportunity to win a medal in the repechage round. In repechage, Yogeshwar beat Ri Jong-myong of North Korea, Masoud Esmaeilpour of Iran and Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico to clinch bronze.
