Imagine a world champion or an Olympic gold medallist getting defeated by an underdog. Today, we bring you such matches where the fans favourite had to bow down to his/her less favourite counter-part. Here are the top 10 most shocking defeats.
1)Kyle Snyder vs Mohammadian Askari:
Whenever there will be talks about the most shocking losses this match will always find a place on the table. Kyle Snyder of the US is a world and Olympic champion and was the favourite to win. Whereas Iran’s Mohammadian Askari was participating in his first major tournament after serving a four-year ban. It was a quarter-final bout in Rome Rankings Series 2020. Snyder lost to the Iranian 8-0 on technical superiority.
2) Deepak Punia vs Ethan Adrian Ramos:
Deepak Punia was carrying his world championship 2019 form to the Rome Rankings. The Indian wrestler had won finished second in Nur-Sultan Worlds and was the favourite to win this match. But little did he know that the underdog from Peru would prove too much to his liking. Punia failed to qualify for the quarterfinals after losing 11-1.
3) Linda Morais vs Anshu:
Linda Morais from Canada is the current world champion in 57kg. The wrestler was the heavyweight in this pre-quarterfinal match-up against Anshu who was making her senior’s debut with the tournament. However, the match did not expect as thought by many. The 18-year-old Anshu won the match 10-4.
4) Sushil Kumar vs Khadzimurad Gadhzhiyev:
India’s Sushil Kumar was the more experienced wrestler out of the two. Whereas, for Khadzimurad Gadhzhiyev of Azerbaijan was still new to the senior level tournaments. It was a tight contest but, in the end, it was the resilience and determination of the young Gadhizhiyev which helped him triumph over the twin Olympic medallist.
5) Sakshi Malik vs Sonam:
It was probably the most unexpected loss in India. Sakshi is India’s first Olympic medallist while Sonam was yet to prove her worth in the senior’s division. Given her performances in the junior’s competition, 18-year-old Sonam was given a shot at the national trials held in January. And boy she took it all right. The youngster grabbed the opportunity with both hands defeating her experienced counter-part in dying seconds.
6) Jordan Burroughs vs Zaurbek Sidakov:
Unlike other matches in the list, this bout was the battle of the giants. At one side of the mat was 2012 Olympic champ Jordan Burroughs, while on the other side it was Russia’s World champion Zaurbek Sidakov. But it was the US wrestler who was the favourite to win given his experience on the mat. The match was mostly evenly matched with a slight lead by Burroughs. However, a push-out by Sidakov in the final second changed the course of the fight in his favour. The match ended 4-3.
7) Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs Kyle Snyder:
The match was of the 2017 World Championship in 97kg freestyle. Snyder was the Olympic champion in this weight category, while Sadulaev had just moved up after winning gold in 86kg division at the Rio Games. This match had set the foundation for the most famous rivalry of wrestling.
8) Riza Kayaalp vs Mykola Kuchmii:
It was one of the most shocking losses of the tournament. Kayaalp was the clear favourite given his stature in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling. But Kuchmii came unannounced only to halt the Turkish wrestler’s campaign. The Ukrainian scored five unanswered points against Kayaalp, the four-time world champion, and handed the Turkish wrestler his first loss at the European Championships since 2009.
9) Bajrang Punia vs Daulet Niyazbekov:
Probably one of the most controversial losses in the history of wrestling. There were many questionable decisions taken through the course of the match. In the end, Punia lost the semi-final bout to Niyazbekov.
10) Vinesh Phogat vs Mayu Mukaida:
This was the second of three matches between the two wrestlers. In this world championship pre-quarterfinal bout, Phogat never seemed to be a match for the Japanese wrestler. Mukaida dominated the fight and won 7-0.
