Nisha Dahiya Suffers Injury and Loss in Olympic Quarterfinals: Indian Coach Alleges Intentional Tactics

Paris, 6th August 2024: Indian wrestler Nisha Dahiya was on the brink of securing a fourth medal for India at the Paris Olympics following an impressive start in the 68kg freestyle category. After defeating Ukraine’s Sova Rizhko 6-4 in her opening bout, Dahiya, who had previously won a silver at the Asian Championships, quickly established a commanding lead in the quarterfinal against North Korea’s Pak Sol-gum. She was just two points away from reaching the semifinals on her Olympic debut when an unexpected injury derailed her chances.

Dahiya had surged to an 8-1 lead against Pak before being visibly affected by the injury to her arm and hand, which left her in significant pain and crying. Medical staff attended to her, diagnosing the issue as a finger injury on her right hand, and she received treatment with her fingers taped.

Despite resuming with an 8-2 lead and 33 seconds remaining, Dahiya struggled with her injury. Pak capitalized on the situation, scoring six rapid points to equalize. With 12 seconds left, another stoppage saw Dahiya’s right shoulder treated, but Pak executed a takedown in the final seconds, ultimately winning 10-8 and advancing to the semifinals.

Devastated by the loss, Dahiya was taken to a medical facility within the Games Village for a scan.

Indian national team coach Virender Dahiya expressed concerns about the nature of the injury, suggesting it might have been intentionally inflicted. He alleged that the North Korean team had given instructions to target Dahiya’s joint to gain an unfair advantage. “It was intentional. We saw instructions being given from the Korean corner to injure her. They have deprived her of a medal,” he stated.

Despite the setback, there was still a slim chance for Dahiya to secure a medal if Pak could defeat American wrestler Amit Elor in the semifinals. However, Elor dominated Pak with a 10-0 victory in under two minutes, closing off Dahiya’s path to a potential bronze medal through repechage.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) later confirmed that Dahiya had suffered a severe shoulder injury. They stated that she would be ruled out of the competition and her treatment plan would be determined after further evaluations.