Suchika loses controversial MMA semifinal on weight rule after draw, settles for bronze
Suchika Tariyal broke down in tears after losing a fiercely contested Asian Games MMA semifinal on a weight-rule tiebreaker on Monday, settling for a bronze medal despite the bout being declared a draw following an Indian challenge.
Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo advanced to the women's traditional 60kg final after she was found to be 700 grams lighter than Suchika at the morning weigh-in, with the international federation's rules using weight as the deciding factor after the bout ended level.
The bronze is India's first-ever medal in mixed martial arts at the Asian Games, which is making its debut at the 20th edition of the continental showpiece.
Suchika, however, was devastated by the outcome and wept on the mat after the referee raised Teo's hand.
"I am a little disappointed with the result of today's bout because I thought I won the fight. I am not able to agree with the result. I was saying that this is not fair," Suchika told PTI after the bout.
"I have given my 100 per cent and worked hard to reach here. I am happy I have won a bronze medal for the country," she added.
The Haryana athlete said she believed she had controlled the bout, particularly through her takedowns.
"I won both my rounds very well because I took her down. She did not even take me down," she said.
The bout was initially awarded to Teo, prompting the Indian camp to challenge the decision by paying an arbitration fee of USD 1,000.
Three new judges were brought in alongside the original three to review the contest, but the bout was again scored a draw.
MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunder said Teo's team then had the option of seeking another arbitration or accepting the weight-based tiebreaker.
"That's the rule of IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation)," Kunder told PTI.
Suchika weighed around 59.2 kg in the morning, while Teo was 58.5 kg, Kunder said.
The closely fought contest had already gone through a complicated scoring process. The three judges split the first two rounds, with each fighter taking one round. One judge awarded 10-10 in both rounds.
After the regulation two two-minute rounds, the judges could not agree on a winner. One scored it 19-19, another 19-20 and the third 20-19 in Suchika's favour.
The fight went into a one-minute overtime, where Teo was declared the winner after two judges awarded her 10 points.
Both fighters initially raised their hands, believing they had done enough.
When the scorecard appeared on the electronic board, a stunned Suchika shook her head in disbelief. She kept her distance when the referee called her forward to raise the winner's hand.
After Teo's hand was raised, Suchika dropped to her knees and was consoled by her coaches. She later wrapped herself in the Tricolour and took a small lap of honour.
Kunder said Suchika was "devastated" by the result but praised her performance.
"She did not prepare for this. We did a good camp. She was in a good state of mind. The fight was very close. She landed a lot of punches. Personally, the second round belonged to Suchika," he said.
The 36-year-old from Kiloi village in Haryana's Rohtak district is a 2024 world champion in jiu-jitsu. She represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2022 Asian Games.
Suchika took up combat sports after facing street harassment at the age of 12 and went on to become a multi-discipline combat sport athlete.
Her bronze also took India's overall medal tally at the Asian Games to six, with shooters accounting for four silver medals and one bronze so far.
Despite the bitter end to her campaign, Suchika became the first Indian athlete to win an Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.
