Cape Town - Johannes Botha claimed South Africa's first wrestling medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when he took silver on Thursday.

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Participating in the men's freestyle 74kg, Botha reached the semi-finals when he defeated Abdulai Salam, of Sierra Leone, on technical superiority, 12 points to 2.

Botha continued his strong form in the quarter-final with an impressive technical superiority win, which saw him 10-0 ahead over Wales' Curtis Dodge.

In the semi-final, the South African reached the final with a fall victory over Nigeria's Ebiniemfaghe Assizecourt, after having an 11-8 technical points lead at the time.

In the final, India's Kumar Sushil was far too good on the night and raced into a 10-0 lead in the first period which meant the contest was halted.

South Africa are currently fifth on the overall medal standings with a total of 32 medals - winning 11 gold, 9 silver and 12 bronze.