Indian wrestler Sandeep Tomar lost his opening bout of the Rio Olympics against Russia’s Viktor Lebedev in the round of 16 of the men's freestyle 57 kg category on Friday. The 25-year-old Indian never looked to be in control during the six-minute bout. He lost 7-3 and now awaits the repechage results for a chance of progressing further. If Lebedev reaches the final, Tomar will get another shot at contesting for the bronze medal playoff.

The fight began with Lebedev racing to 5-0 lead by outmanoeuvring Tomar in quick succession. The Indian tried sparking a comeback in the second period by scoring three points. However, the Russian held his ground and scored two crucial points to bag the match.

Tomar had secured an Olympic quota berth with a bronze-medal finish in the first World Olympic Qualifying tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.