Russian Batirov wins Olympic men's freestyle wrestling 55kg gold

Russian wrestler Mavlet Batirov won the gold medal in men's freestyle wrestling 55kg category at the Athens Olympics on Saturday.

Inspired by the deafening cheers from Russian fans in the stands, the 21-year-old Batirov, making his first Olympic appearance, defeated Stephen Abas of the United States 9-1 in a lopsided bout.

"I dedicate this medal to my father," said Batirov. "I trained very hard to come here. I was prepared to face the American and knew everything about his techniques. That's why I won."

Japan's Chikara Tanabe crushed Sydney bronze medalist Amiran Karntanov of Greece 7-0 to grab bronze.