Photo of Abrahamian placing his medal on the competition mat.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian threw away the bronze medal he won in the Greco-Roman category in disgust in a protest over judging in his semifinal bout. Abrahamian was beaten in the 84 kg class by eventual gold medal winner Andrea Minguzzi of Italy but was furious with the verdict, shouting at the referee before confronting the judges. The Athens silver medal winner had to be restrained by teammates and later went on to win a bronze medal match.
But the row continued at the medal ceremony as he only grudgingly mounted the podium and after receiving his medal made a point of taking it off and leaving it in the center of the competition mat.
Swedish fans in the arena disagreed strongly with the original decision, jeering the judges, while coach Leo Myllari also weighed in.
Ara Abrahamian's medal rests on the mat in Beijing after the Swedish wrestler discarded it and stormed off. [photo via]
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