Somebody might have to tell Roman Vlasov how it all went down, but in the end he won the gold medal for Russia. He did the same thing in 2012, though he stayed much more conscious that time.
Olympic Glory
Vlasov was choked unconscious during his 75kg greco-roman semi-final match up against Croatian Bozo Starcevic but was still able to win not only that match-up, but later the gold medal match-up against Denmark’s Mark Madsen as well.
Heading into the later stages of the semi-final match against Starcevic, Vlasov had a comfortable lead when his opponent wrapped his arm around his neck. At the time the move was considered legal, and in fact 2 points were awarded for the move.
Russians Win Medals In Their Sleep
The match had to be stopped however, when officials noticed the somewhat important fact that Vlasov was unconscious. The bout was delayed until Vlasov was able to continue, and he was able to carry on and close out the bout to move onto the semi-finals.
