BEIJING // Revazi Mindorashvili of Georgia beat the Russian gold medal favourite in an emotional semi-final match, then rallied in the final to win the Olympic freestyle wrestling 84kg championship. Mindorashvili, the 2005 world champion, lost the first period 3-2 but came back to dominate the final two periods against Yusup Abdusalomov of Tajikstan 3-0 and 4-0. Mindorashvili reached the finals by reversing a European Championship loss in April to the reigning world champion Georgy Ketoev of Russia and winning 4-2, 7-3. Taras Danko of Ukraine and Ketoev won the bronze medals. Shirvani Muradov, taking the place of one of the world's most successful wrestlers over the last four years, has won the Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal at 96kg. Muradov defeated Taimuraz Tigiyev of Kazakhstan 1-0, 1-0 for the gold medal. The 23-year-old Muradov beat the 2004 Olympic champion and three-time reigning World Champion Khadshimourad Gatsalov to make Russia's Olympic team. Gatsalov had won every major world title since 2004. The bronze medal winners were George Gogshelidze of Georgia and Khetag Gazyumov of Azerbaijan.
*AP
