Estonians in Rio, Day 10: Wrestler bested in bronze-medal match, hurdle-jumper to advance to semifinals

After qualifying for the bronze-medal match, Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler Heiki Nabi was defeated 3:0 by Russian opponent Sergey Semenov. Meanwhile, with a time just one second away from the Estonian record, hurdle-jumper Rasmus Mägi qualified to advance to the semifinals of the men's 400m hurdles.
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg
Following a 3:0 loss to defending Olympic champion Mijaín López from Cuba, who likewise beat Johan Eurén from Sweden 3:0 in the quarterfinals and Russian Sergey Semenov 3:0 in the semifinals, Estonian wrestler Heiki Nabi was given the opportunity to compete in the event's bronze-medal match. Nabi lost to Semenov as well, however, and this time with a score of 6:0 after the first three minutes were spent deadlocked at 0:0.
López went on to win gold in a 6:0 final against Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp, who took home the silver, while Azerbaijani Sabah Shariati won bronze in a 5:0 match against German wrestler Eduard Popp.
"My previous match was painful; my hands somehow got tired," Nabi explained in an interview with ERR. "During beginning of the second half it was okay, a little bit was missing... He did really well. He attempted multiple times, it didn't come, and I thought that he was already giving up, but he didn't give up; he did a great move."
The Estonian wrestler admitted that it was of course painful not to earn a medal after all in his event because he thought he was capable of it and found that he was so until he allowed himself ot be lifted. "It's a bit sad, but sports are merciless. If you don't do it yourself, it will be done to you."
Athletics: Men's 3000m steeplechase
Estonian 3000m steeplechase runner Kaur Kivistik, who earned a free pass to the Rio Games at the last minute, was unable to achieve his goal of meeting the Estonian record for the event, coming in 35th place with a time of 8:44:25.
While he was disappointed with his time, the worst of his season, he admitted that the weather, particularly the heat, wasn't exactly the most ideal for running the event. "Now I know how a piece of meat feels when it's put in the oven," Kivistik commented. "I was pretty properly cooked during that nine minutes."
He observed that he ran at a fairly even pace, with his last two laps perhaps a second slower, however he added that he just didn't have it in him to gun it during the final kilometer of the race that day. "My feet were drowsy and my head and legs just didn't work together today," added Kivistik.
Athletics: Men's 400m hurdles
Two Estonians competed in the men's 400-meter hurdles on Monday, and while Rasmus Mägi, who was just a second away from matching the Estonian record with his time of 48:55, placed fourth overall and will thus be advancing to the semifinals, Jaak-Heinrich Jagor, with his time of 49:78, fell just one hundredth of a second short of doing the same.
"I didn't even see that Brazilian; he was in the first lane and I was in the eighth, and I had to worry about the guy in the 7th lane," Jagor told ERR in an interview following the race. "I didn't take my foot off the gas; I strained as hard as I could until the very end." He expressed disappointment over losing by such a narrow margin, but added that his "Olympic debut is done."
Mägi, on the other hand, felt that he had enough in him to run the semifinal well as well. "A little surprising that [I] had to run so fast; it was a very fast-paced race," Mägi told ERR. "At the same time, however, it's always good to run fast. Today's race will certainly give me confidence for tomorrow's semifinal."
Sailing: Women's 49er FX (skiff) class
Estonian sailing duo Kätlin Tammiste and Anna Maria Sepp sailed another three races in the 49er FX class on Monday, placing 16th in their seventh race, 18th in their eighth, and 20th in their last race, after which they remain in 19th place in the event's overall rankings.
Spain's Támara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos are currently in first place overall.
Seven Estonians to compete on Tuesday
A total of seven Estonian Olympians are scheduled to compete in various events on Tuesday, including wrestler Ardo Arusaar, beginning at 4:00 p.m., weighlifter Mart Seim, beginning at 9:30 p.m., sailors Anna Maria Sepp and Kätlin Tammiste at 7:05 p.m., long-jumper Ksenija Balta at 3:05 a.m., hurdle-jumper Rasmus Mägi at 3:42 a.m., and javelin-thrower Liina Laasma at 3:50 a.m.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16*
*Note: All times listed in Eastern European Summer Time (EEST) +0300 UTC.
time | event | channel |
15:30 | Rio 2016: Competition Day Preview | ETV |
15:55 | Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 98 kg; Sailing: Finn-class medal race; Rowing | ETV |
21:50 | Volleyball: Beach volleyball semifinals | ETV2 |
22:30 | Olympics Day 10 in Rio | ETV |
23:30 | Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 98kg and 66 kg finals | ETV |
23:55 | Cycling: Women's track sprint | ETV2 |
01:00 | Weightlifting: 105 kg Group A | ETV |
04:50 | Volleyball: Beach volleyball semifinals | ETV |
Editor: Editor: Aili Sarapik