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EXPLAINED: Here's how Sakshi Malik won bronze despite losing her quarter-final

All the grapplers who lost to the two eventual finalists during the knockouts compete in the repechage.

EXPLAINED: Here's how Sakshi Malik won bronze despite losing her quarter-final

New Delhi: Wrestler Sakshi Malik ended India's medal drought in Rio by clinching the bronze in the 58kg category.

The Rohtak girl did so after pulling off a 8-5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova in the Play-off bout.

She, in fact, had lost 2-9 in the quarter-finals to Russia's Valeriia Koblova in the fifth bout of the day before getting a second chance in repechage when her conqueror reached the final.

The repechage is a format, which offers the defeated participants in the initial rounds a chance to end up on the podium.

All the grapplers who lost to the two eventual finalists during the knockouts compete in the repechage.

There is not one but two bronze medals up for grabs.

The defeated participants form two separate pools and vie for the two medals.

Loser from the first round battles the loser from the second. The winner takes on loser from the third round.

Hence two winners are thrown up from each pool.

Over the years, the repechage has helped India add to its medal tally.

Sushil Kumar at Beijing 2008 and Yogeshwar Dutt at London 2012 won their bronze medals via this route.