Mindorashvili celebrates with the Georgia flag

Mindorashvili, the 2005 world champion, lost the first period of the final against Yusup Abdusalomov of Tajikstan 3-2 but came back to dominate the last
two periods 3-0 and 4-0.

Several hours earlier, the Georgian reversed a European championships loss in April to reigning world champion Georgy Ketoev of Russia with a 4-2, 7-3 decision, nearly causing him to break into a middle-of-the-match dance.

The disappointed Russian would not even shake his opponent's hand, though the two smiled at each other during the medal ceremony after Taras Danko of Ukraine and Ketoev took the bronzes.

Despite the recent hostilities between the two countries, Russian fans in the China Agriculture University gymnasium stood politely during the Georgian national anthem.

Without Ketoev, the final featured two wrestlers who have long been contenders in major tournaments but had never reached this far in an Olympics.

In Athens in 2004, Abdusalomov finished ninth, while Mindorashvili was 13th.

Abdusalomov is 30, but his only previous podium finish was second in last
year's world championships.

Uzbekistan gold

Russia's Shirvani Muradov won the gold medal in the men's 96kg freestyle wrestling, with Taimuraz Tigiev of Kazakhstan taking the silver.

George Gogshelidze of Georgia and Khetag Gazyumov of Azerbaijan won bronze medals.

Topping a weight class dominated by wrestlers from former Soviet republics, Muradov, the 2007 European champion, beat Tigiev 3-0.

Uzbekistan's Artur Taymazov won the Olympic gold medal in the men's 120kg freestyle wrestling, with Bakhtiyar Akhmedov of Russia winning the silver.

Slovakia's David Misulbes and Kazakhstan's Murad Mutalimov won bronze medals.

It was the second Olympic gold for the 29-year-old Uzbek, who won the gold medal in Athens in 2004 and took silver four years before that in Sydney.

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