Why the Olympics has two wrestling bronze medals
Giving out three medals is a standard practice for every Olympic competition.
Despite everyone setting their eyes on the prize of gold, those who don't quite make it it to the top of their respective sporting pyramid are given a silver and bronze, respectively.
Sure, everyone wants to win - but the podium set up shows that it is about more than just the number one in each event.
And some sports go further than that, expanding their three traditional medal spots to four, with two bronze medals on the cards for those competing in the wrestling.
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Wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Almost 300 wrestlers will take part in Paris Olympics as they compete for gold medals across 18 events, with the US bringing the most athletes (16).
A grand total of 291 competitors from 61 countries will compete for the 72 medals up for grabs across the 12 male events and six female, starting today (5 August) and ending the day of the closing ceremony (11 August).
Taking place at the at Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ de Mars - a temporary venue built for the Olympics - thousands of spectators will watch the hotly contested bouts.
As with judo, every weight class in the men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman, and women's events will give out four medals; gold, silver, and two bronze.
Reason for two bronze medals at the Olympics
It might look a bit odd at face value but there is good reason for why wrestling, like judo, has two bronze medals in its Olympic bouts.
The reason for it all comes down to the system used to put fighters against each other, with there being two sides to the draw.
Olympic wrestling uses something called the repechage system when organising the fights, which gives those who have lost in closely fought bouts another chance at an Olympic medal.
The system is also used by taekwondo.
How the repechage system works in wrestling
In wrestling, there are two sides to the draw, with the last 16 split in to eight fights.
This then becomes the quarter finals, semi finals, and finally, the gold medal final match.
Ultimately, those who lose to the two people who make the gold medal match are given another go.
It sees the six who lost to form their own mini repechage tournament, where the two who lost in last 16 and quarter finals facing off.
The winner then fights the semi-final loser for a bronze medal, according to the Olympic's official website.
Still confused? This video might help:
The two bronze medals exist because wrestling, like judo, recognises that the strongest competitors can be drawn against each other earlier on in the tournament.
And because fighters are on two completely different sides of the draw, the competitors are kept separate to fairly mirror how the draw went.
Ultimately, it recognises the quality in depth and closely fought nature of some fights before the gold medal match.
Topics: Olympics, Sport, Weird, Viral, World News
Tom Earnshaw