Wrestler Sushil Kumar gave India one more reason to won cheer when he won the bronze medal in the freestyle 66kg category at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.

Sushil defeated Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan 3-1 in the repechage match of the men’s freestyle wrestling 66kg to win India’s India’s first wrestling medal since the 1952 Helsinki Games.  He is only the second Indian wrestler after Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav to win an Olympic medal. Jadhav had won a bronze medal in the 1952 Games.

In the earlier rounds of repechage Sushil overcame the challenge of USA’s Doug Schwab and Belarrussian Albert Batyrov in the first two repechage rounds. Sushil had lost to Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik in his quarter-final bout.

This is also the first time since 1952 that India has two Olympic medals. Earlier, Abhinav Bindra won first-ever Olympics gold medal for the country in the 10meter air rifle event.

Update – Vijender Kumar assured of bronze in 75kg boxing

Vijender Kumar assured India of yet another medal when he entered the semi-finals of the middleweight (75kg) category on Wednesday. Vijender defeated Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora 9-4 at the Workers’ Gymnasium.

In the Olympic boxing event even the losing semifinalists get a bronze medal. Earlier, Jitender Kumar lost his 51kg quarter-final bout and missed the Olympic medal by a whisker. Jitender lost to European champion Georgy Balakshin of Russia in the last eight stage 15-11.

Above picture and news courtesy: IBNlive

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Enjoy the moment, we might never see such a scene again for a long long time to come.  An Indian wins an individual gold medal for the first time ever in the history of Olympics.

Abhinav Bindra shot a series of 100,99,100,98,100 and 99 in the men’s 10 meters air rifle event.   Sheer bliss.  Thank God for small mercies

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“Decision not to carry Olympic torch is entirely personal, not political. I am not doing this on behalf of any organisation or group. I’m not even asking others to join me. Not carrying the Olympic torch was an obvious decision for me as I am against the violence and oppression in Tibet,” he said.

Meanwhile, another controversy is brewing as Aamir Khan has been roped in by Coca Cola to carry the torch. The Tibeteans in India are warning that they will commit self-immolation if Aamir Khan goes ahead with the torch relay.

I am no one to tell any group of people how they should conduct their struggle. I am not part of it and am not going through what they are going through. But my heart goes out to them.

I request those of you who have asked me to stay away from the Olympic Torch Relay to understand that when I do run with the torch on the 17th of April it is not in support of China. In fact it will be with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet, and indeed for all people across the world who are victims of human rights violations.

Meanwhile the German chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that she will not attend the Beijing Olympics and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy maintaining that he might boycott the opening ceremony of the games. More fun

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