Rajeev Tomar qualifies for Beijing Olympics

Patiala, Apr 24 (UNI) Indian freestyle wrestler Rajeev Tomar is the third matman to qualify for Beijing Olympics.

He achieved this distinction during the Olympic Qualifying wrestling championship, held in Martigney, Switzerland, from April 18 to 20.

Tomar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and trains at Guru Hanuman Akhara in Delhi, defeated Baljit Singh of Great Britain in the first round and went on to beat Bartnicki of Poland in the second round.

Continuing his winning spree, he defeated Mikhalevich Maksin in the third round. As luck eluded him, Tomar lost to David Massulbes from Slovak in the final.

However, he qualified for the Olympics. His coach, P R Sondhi, told UNI that Tomar could be a strong contender for a medal in Beijing Olympics provided he got a favourable draw.

Two other freestyle wrestlers, Jogeshwar Dutt (60 kg) and Sushil Kumar (66 kg.) have already qualified for Beijing Olympics.

Four Indian matmen will now vie for a berth in Beijing Olympics during the last Olympic Qualifying wrestling tournament in Warsaw, Poland, slated from May 2 to 4.

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