I was robbed: Suchika Tariyal fumes after weight rule ends Asian Games campaign
Suchika Tariyal’s Asian Games campaign ended with a bronze medal, but the Indian mixed martial artist was left wondering what could have been after a weight-based tiebreaker denied her a place in the final. On Thursday, India’s first-ever Asian Games MMA medallist said she was robbed of a “deserving” gold medal after her semifinal against Singapore’s Tea Hui Hoon was declared a draw.
MMA made its Asian Games debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with Suchika producing a historic performance to reach the women’s traditional 60kg semifinal. But after the judges declared her bout against Teo a tie, the result was decided by the athletes’ morning weigh-in, with the Singaporean being 700 grams lighter.
"I was clearly winning the bout, but it was declared a draw very strangely. Instead of (having) one more round, they applied these weird weight rules which virtually robbed me of my deserving gold medal," Suchika told PTI on her arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.
"Regarding the weight rule, I felt it was a very bad rule. They could have let me play one more round. Even if I had lost that round, I could have accepted it, but I could not accept what happened," she said.
Suchika insisted that her performance had given her reason to believe she could go all the way.
"I am very happy to get a medal. The way I was playing, it looked like I would win the gold medal. I know how I reached that stage. I worked very hard, and I couldn't lose like that. As far as I know, I was winning both the bouts," she said.
"Even in the one-minute round, I was dominating her. She was running backwards, and I was on top of her," she added.WHEN 700 GRAMS CHANGED EVERYTHING
The result initially appeared to be a loss for Suchika, prompting the Indian MMA federation to challenge the decision. Following the challenge, the judges reviewed the footage and declared the bout a draw. However, that only triggered the tiebreak procedure.
MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunde had earlier said the winner was then determined according to the athletes’ morning weigh-in.
"After the Indian challenge, the result of the bout was declared drawn. The winner was then decided on the basis of the weights of competing athletes according to morning weigh-in," Kunde told PTI.
"Since, the Singaporean was lighter than Suchika by around 700 grams, she moved to the final. Suchika settled for bronze."
Under the Asian MMA rules, a tie can be settled through a series of criteria. Officials first check warnings received by the athletes and then the advice issued to them. If those remain identical, their pre-competition weights are compared, followed by post-competition weights if necessary. The final tiebreak can involve the three assistant referees using flags.
In Suchika’s case, the weight difference proved decisive, with Teo advancing to the final by a break tie on weight.BRONZE BRINGS PRIDE, BUT GOLD STILL HURTS
Suchika was careful not to describe the result as cheating, even while questioning the decision and expressing her frustration at being denied another round.
"I do not know why they did that. I am not saying it was cheating. If you are declaring the match a draw, you could have given me the win too. What was my shortcoming that you gave her the win? That is all I want to say," she said.
Despite the disappointment, the 36-year-old remained proud of becoming India’s first Asian Games MMA medallist.
"Still, I am happy that I have won a bronze medal because it is more precious to me than my life. I have worked extremely hard for it," she said.
With MMA currently absent from the Olympic programme, Suchika has already turned her attention towards the World Championship and the fights that lie ahead. She also remains hopeful that MMA could eventually find a place at the Olympics, giving her another long-term target to chase.
At Aichi-Nagoya, the 36-year-old may have missed the final by the narrowest of margins, but her bronze still marked a historic beginning for Indian MMA at the Asian Games.- Ends
