Rahul Aware holds aloft the tricolour after his triumph. PTIGold Coast: Indian wrestler Rahul Aware won gold in the men's 57 kilogram category at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Thursday.
Aware overpowered Steven Takahashi of Canada 15-7 in the final.
The Indian was dominant right from the start, pulling off three two-points moves in the first round.
Although the Canadian showed excellent technical prowess with a four-point move, it was enough to prevent Aware from taking a two-point lead into the break.
The Maharashtra wrestler showed his true class in the second round. He had increased his lead by one point in the initial stages before the Canadian scored three points to reduce the gap.
Aware, however, made an ankle hold to execute the classic 'fitlay' move which saw rack up eight consecutive points.
That gave him a virtually insurmountable eight-point lead which proved too much for Steven to surmount.
Aware's triumph opened India's gold medal account in the three-day wrestling competition at the Games.
"I have been waiting for this medal for the last 10 years. I can't describe how it feels to claim it. I missed out on 2010, even in 2014, the team was sent without trials. So, I am very happy that I could finally fulfil this dream," said the 26-year-old Aware, who is also the reigning Commonwealth Championships gold medallist.
"I dedicate this to my guru who passed away in 2012, I am happy that all the efforts I put in got the result I wanted," he added.
