"Everything worked out as expected," said the athletes' coach.Continue reading
Dániel Ligeti’s journey in the 125 kg freestyle wrestling weight class at the Paris Olympics came to a challenging quarter-final end, where he lost to Turkish star Taha Akgül. This defeat leaves him hoping for a consolation bracket continuation.
Competing in his third Olympics after London and Rio, Ligeti began his campaign strongly by defeating Nigerian silver medalist Ashton Adeyemi Mutuwa with a technical fall in under two and a half minutes. However, in the quarter-finals, he faced a formidable opponent, Taha Akgül, a ten-time European and three-time world champion, who also won gold in Rio.
The match started unfavorably for Ligeti, as he stumbled early on, allowing Akgül to score a point with a push. Despite Ligeti’s efforts, the Turkish wrestler controlled the match, repeatedly pushing Ligeti out of bounds and capitalizing on the Hungarian’s passivity.
Akgül’s dominance was evident, and by the end of the first period, he led 3-0. In the second period, Akgül continued his momentum, eventually winning 7-0.
Reflecting on the match, Ligeti said, “we knew since May that Taha would be in the quarter-finals. Obviously, it hurts a lot that it went against him like it always does. I will try not to dwell on feelings of disappointment because I made it to the Olympics, my third one, where I was a quarter-finalist.” He added, “I will focus on the positive aspects, especially since I might still have to go on the mat. We will see how the semi-final goes tonight. I could not guess who will win because I am always wrong. But I will go with the Iranian.”
While Ligeti’s quarter-final loss was disappointing, he remains hopeful for a chance in the consolation bracket, depending on the outcome of Akgül’s upcoming semi-final against Iran’s Amir Hossain Zare.
Via MTI; Featured Image: MTI / Illyés Tibor