Incheon (Korea): Yesterday's gold medal for Yogeshwar Dutt was long due. The win by a solitary point achieved via a leg hold in the first 30 seconds of the bout against Tajikistan's Zalimkahn Yusupov held good for the Indian grappler to hang in for the remainder of the first and second rounds to win the gold, which was India's first in freestyle wrestling since Kartar Singh's gold medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games.


It's mine: India's Yogeshwar Dutt poses with his gold medal after winning the men's 65 kg freestyle wrestling gold in Incheon yesterday. Pic/PTI  

It was a close bout, just as his semi-final had been. But Dutt, who has moved up from 60kg to 65kg for these Games, as weight categories have changed, was up to the challenge. He might have seemed out of breath, but he hung and gave no quarter and when the bout ended, he signaled to his colleagues in the stands to give him a tri-colour. Wrapped in the Indian flag, he did the lap of honour around the arena as his teammates went wild cheering him.