Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Wrestler Ravi Dahiya on Thursday underwent a knee surgery that will put him out of action for the rest of this year.
The 25-year old shared a photo on Twitter after his surgery in Mumbai.
“When a sweet result is received in the temple of life, everyone accepts it easily, but when a bitter result is received, accepting it with gratitude is the ultimate joy of life,” Ravi wrote along with his picture.
Ravi was diagnosed with ACL and MCL injuries on his right knee in February and he could not recover after rehab.
Last week, the wrestler from Chhatrasal stadium lost in the selection trials (57kg) for the Asian Games, going down to Aatish Todkar in the qualification round. Ravi was in pain when he left the mat.
Several eyebrows were also raised as to why he participated and who advised him to go for trails when he was injured. Ravi will now miss the Asian Games and the World Championships, which also doubles up as a Paris Olympics qualifier.
In 2021, Ravi Dahiya received the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honor in India. During the 2020 Summer Olympics, Dahiya displayed outstanding performance, winning his first two bouts with technical superiority.
In the semifinal, he staged an incredible comeback by pinning down Kazakh wrestler Nurislam Sanayev in the final minute, securing victory by fall despite initially trailing on points.
There were reports of an unfortunate incident where Dahiya endured a bite from his opponent during this intense match.
Although Dahiya demonstrated remarkable skill and determination, he had to settle for a silver medal in the final as he was defeated 4–7 on points by ROC wrestler Zaur Uguev.
Despite the setback, he became only the second Indian wrestler to achieve an Olympic silver medal, joining the ranks of Sushil Kumar.