Heartbreak for Bajrang: What happens when a wrestling bout ends in a tie

Bajrang Punia lost his semifinal bout to Daulet Niyazbekov after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Bajrang Punia lost his semifinal bout and will wrestle for the bronze medal on Friday.

It was heartbreak for Bajrang Punia after securing an Olympic berth as the wrestler lost his semifinal bout in the 65kg category at the World Wrestling Championships.

The bout ended with the scores level at 9-9 and Daulet Niyazbekov was declared winner by criteria (throw of four points) leaving Bajrang disappointed. Bajrang’s coach Shako Banitidis kicked the coach’s block in anger, protesting the officiating.

READ: World Wrestling C'ships: Bajrang Punia, Ravi Kumar lose semis but qualify for Tokyo Olympics

Explainer: How did Bajrang lose the bout?

If a wrestling bout ends in a tie, three criteria are taken into account to break the deadlock.

• The tie is awarded to the wrestler who has scored the highest point (Daulet Niyazbekov was awarded four points for effecting a throw and hence won the bout against Bajrang).
• If both grapplers have similar highest point, then whoever has the least cautions is declared the winner.
• If that too fails to break the deadlock, then the last point winner is awarded the match.