I was robbed: Suchika Tariyal fumes after weight rule ends Asian Games campaign

Suchika Tariyala’s Asian Games campaign ended with a bronze medal, but the Indian mixed martial artist was left wondering what could have happened after a tiebreaker based on weight denied her a place in the final. On Thursday, India’s first-ever Asian Games MMA medalist said she was robbed of a “deserved” gold medal after her semi-final against Singapore’s Tea Hui Hoon was declared a draw.

MMA made its debut at the Asian Games at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, where Suchika produced a historic performance by reaching the traditional women’s 60kg semi-finals. But after the judges declared her match against Teo a draw, the morning weigh-in of the athletes decided the outcome, the Singapore one is 700 grams lighter.

“I clearly won the match but it was declared a draw very strangely. Instead of (having) one more round, they used these strange weight rules which practically robbed me of my well-deserved gold medal,” Suchik told PTI on her arrival at the IGI airport in New Delhi.

“As for 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 couldn’t accept what happened,” she said.

Suchika insisted her performance gave her reason to believe she could go all the way.

“I’m very happy to win a medal. The way I played, it looked like I was going to win the gold medal. I know how I got to that stage. I worked very hard and I couldn’t lose like that. As far as I know, I won both matches,” she said.

“Even in the one-minute lap I dominated 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 MMA Federation of India to question the decision. After the challenge, the referees reviewed the footage and declared the match a draw. However, this only triggered a tiebreaker.

MMA Sports Federation President Nikhil Kunde had earlier said that the winner was determined based on the morning weigh-in of the athletes.

“After India’s challenge, the result of the match was declared a draw. The winner was then decided based on the weights of the competing athletes as per the morning weigh-in,” Kunde told PTI.

“Since the Singaporean was lighter than Suchika by about 700 grams, she advanced to the final. Suchika settled for bronze.”

Under Asian MMA rules, a tie can be decided by a number of criteria. Officials first review the warnings the athletes have received and then the advice they have been issued. If they remain identical, their pre-competition weights and, if necessary, post-competition weights are compared. The final tiebreaker may involve three assistant referees using flags.

Suchika’s weight difference proved decisive, Teo advanced to the finals by weight shoot-off.

BRONZE BRINGS PRIDE, BUT GOLD KEEP CLOSER

Suchika was careful not to describe the result as cheating, even while questioning the decision and expressing frustration at being denied another round.

“I don’t know why they did it. I’m not saying it was cheating. If you’re calling the match a draw, you could have given me the win too. What was my fault that you gave her the win? That’s all I’m saying,” she said.

Despite the disappointment, the 36-year-old remained proud of becoming India’s first Asian Games medalist in MMA.

“Still, I am happy to have won the bronze medal because it is more valuable to me than my life. I worked extremely hard for it,” she said.

With MMA currently missing from the Olympic schedule, Suchika has already turned her attention to the World Championships and the fights ahead. She also remains hopeful that MMA could eventually find a place in the Olympics, giving her another long-term goal to chase.

In Aichi-Nagoya, the 36-year-old missed the final by the narrowest of margins, but her bronze marked a historic start for Indian MMA at the Asian Games.

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