India has a powerful wrestling contingent for the Rio 2016 Olympics and fans expect at least a medal. Among the favourites, Yogeshwar Dutt and Narsingh Yadav are expected to make an impact and compensate for veteran Sushil Kumar's absence.
The wrestling events began on Sunday and will last for eight days. The final wrestling medals will be awarded just hours before the closing ceremony.
Lest we forget, two greco-roman wrestlers from India -- Ravinder Khatri (85 kg) and Hardeep Singh (98 kg) -- have also qualified after 12 long years.
With the Olympics 2016 entering its final week and the wrestlers set to be in action, the medal hopes get elevated at once. On Monday, Ravinder will be in action in the pre-quarters of the men's 85 kg greco-roman wrestling event at the Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro. Catch the match report here.
The 24-year-old wrestler from Haryana has mentioned that greco-roman fighters from Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan will be tough to beat in the competition, but he remains upbeat.
"All the wrestlers will be well prepared for the Rio Olympics. No wrestler can be taken lightly. Having said that I feel wrestlers from Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan will be tough to beat," Ravinder had told Sportskeeda before leaving for Rio. "The point is if I give my best, I can do my country proud in Rio.
"Greco-roman wrestling was lagging behind freestyle wrestling in terms of performance over the years, but two greco-roman wrestlers are playing in the Olympics which just show that Indian greco-roman wrestling is indeed coming up. Both I and Hardeep will look to make a big impact in Rio," he added.
Ravinder Khatri's pre-quarters bout against a qualifier is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. IST (2:30 p.m. BST, 9:30 a.m. EST) on Aug. 15.
Where to watch live
India: TV: Star Sports Network, DD National. Live streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four. Live streaming: BBC Red Button.
USA: TV: NBC Sports. Live streaming: NBC Olympics.
