Strangely though, when the two men returned to lock shoulders, Sanayev must have been contemplating if stalling could be enough to exit the bout with a winning score. As it is, he was three points from gaining technical superiority, a ten-point lead, enough to end the contest.
Ravi though, wasn’t playing just to stall. He was investing the last ounce of his energy to break a formidable opponent. The 23-year-old Asian Champion had worked his way back from 2-9 to 5-9, moments after the Kazakh had produced the furious run of points.
It should have been enough to warn the Kazakh that the fight wasn’t won, just yet. With just over the minute left on the mat, Ravi landed his left knee to the floor, released the shoulder hold and managed to grab the legs of Sanayev. That was enough for Ravi to destabilise his opponent. In a flash, he threw the Kazakh to the floor. The Indian wasted no time in using his upper body to gain top position and press for the pin.
Sanayev resisted. But only in…