Swedish wrestler protests bronze-medal finish
BEIJING - Some athletes are happy to get any Olympic medal, even if it's bronze.
Some feel it's a failure, but stand respectfully on the podium and accept it.
For one Swedish wrestler, it means the end of his career - and he made sure everyone knew it on the world's biggest stage.
After he took the bronze in the 84 kilogram weight class, two-time former world champion Ara Abrahamian said, "I don't care about this medal. I wanted gold. This will be my last match. I wanted to take gold, so I consider this Olympics a failure."
He certainly didn't like the color of his medal. During the medal ceremony, he took the bronze from around his neck and, in disgust, dropped it on the mat in protest as he walked away.
Abrahamian had to be restrained from going after the mat-side officials following his loss and, storming away from the mixed zone where interviews are conducted, slammed a door to the dressing rooms so hard it shook an entire wall. He weighed whether to skip the bronze-medal match, only to have friends talk him into competing.
The public display came after a disputed point in Abrahamian's contest against gold medal winner Andrea Minguzzi of Italy.
