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What is a repechage in cycling?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 22, 2026

Repechage (/rəpɛˈʃɑːʒ/; French: repêchage, "fishing out, rescuing") is a practice in series competitions that allows participants who failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round.

What does repechage mean in Olympics?

Loosely translated from French, Repechage means "second chance" and it initially makes the competition a double elimination competition. Those that did not qualify in the preliminary heats have a second chance to advance to either the semifinal or final round. RELATED: Meet the Olympic athletes from Colorado.

Why is it called a repechage?

It comes from the French verb, “repêch” which means literally to “fish up again.” Idiomatically, it means “to get a second chance.” In the context of rowing, a repechage is a race that gives athletes a second chance to advance to the next round in their event.

What does repechage stand for?

Definition of repechage

: a trial heat (as in rowing) in which first-round losers are given another chance to qualify for the semifinals.

What's the repechage in rowing?

What is a repechage? A repechage is when the people who have failed to qualify for a semi or final in the heats get another chance to race for a qualification spot.

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What are repechage matches?

Repechage in wrestling, a quick explainer:

The repechage matches begin with wrestlers who lost in the first round against one of the two finalists up until two to the losers in the semi-finals by direct elimination.

What does repechage mean in judo?

Events including rowing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling award bronze medals with a process called "repechage." Meaning "second chance" in French, repechage gives athletes renewed hope at earning a medal, even after a loss.

What is repechage taekwondo?

Repechage: Anyone who loses to a finalist in the single elimination competition enters the repechage. "In the repechage, the losers of the semifinals during the elimination phase will be seeded directly to each of repechage finals, but on the opposite side of the bracket.

How is repechage used in sports?

The term repechage is derived from the French word repecher which literally means to rescue. In various sports events, it's a rule that provides a second chance to an individual or a team to fight for a third-spot finish despite suffering elimination early in the competition.

Why does wrestling have two bronze medalists?

Two bronze medals: Wrestling, boxing and more

However, the system of giving both losing semi-finalists a bronze was introduced during the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The AIBA reasoned that there was too little time for recovery for the losing semi-finalists between their semi-final and a bronze medal playoff.

Why are there 2 bronze medals in judo?

Judoka compete in weight classes. Each country may qualify a maximum of one athlete per weight class. Gold and silver medals are awarded based on a single elimination bracket. Two bronze medals are awarded in each weight class; quarter-finalists losers fight against other in the same half of bracket.

What sports have a repechage?

Repechage is common in martial arts like taekwondo, judo and wrestling – single-elimination brackets are used to determine the two athletes who will compete in the final for first and second place, and the repechage bracket is built from athletes who were knocked out by the finalists.

Why do people repechage in wrestling?

Derived from the French word repecher, which means to rescue, repechage is a rule that provides a second chance to an individual or a team to fight for a third-spot finish despite suffering elimination early in the competition. It gives a wrestler another chance despite a defeat.

Is there repechage in boxing?

But in boxing, there are no repechage matches and the two losing semifinalists are assured of bronze medals. Vijender Singh (at Beijing Olympics) and Mary Kom (at London Olympics) had also qualified for the semifinals in their respective weight categories.

Is vinesh Phogat in repechage?

Vinesh Phogat could not qualify for the repechage round, which would have given her a shot at bronze, as Belarus' Vanesa Kaladzinskaya failed to reach the 53kg final. Vinesh thus returns from a second successive Olympics without a medal.

Do semi finalists get bronze?

Winter Olympics medals have been of more varied design. In a few tournament sports, such as boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded in each event – one for each eliminated semi-finalist or for the winners of the repechage brackets.

How to decide bronze medal in wrestling?

Thus, the losing semi-finalist only has to compete in one bout to have his shot at the Bronze, whereas the wrestler who loses out early needs to come through two (or three, if the finalist came through the qualification round) matches to win the Bronze.

Why is there no third place match in boxing?

Many sports tournaments do not have a third place playoff, mostly due to a lack of interest from the competitors and also from the fans.

Why there is no bronze medal match in boxing?

Having a bronze medal fight before the gold match match also meant the two losing boxers didn't have enough time to recover. Since then, the rule has remained in place due to safety concerns around defeated fighters.

What is judo mat in Japanese called?

The judokas wrestle on a mat called tatami (the mat area can range from 6 × 6 m to 12 × 12 m).

How much is a bronze medal?

At the 2020 Olympics, the medal weighs in at about 550 grams, and its value is about $490. Olympic bronze – The bronze medal is comprised of 450 grams – almost a pound – of red brass. Red brass is 95% copper and 3% zinc, and is valued at about $2.40 a pound. The medal's monetary value is about $2.40.

Why does taekwondo have two bronzes?

From Wikipedia, In a few tournament sports, such as boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded in each event – one for each eliminated semi-finalist or for the winners of the repechage brackets. From Indian Express, There is no bronze medal play-off in bridge sport at the Games.

How Olympic medals are given?

The first-placed athlete, on the highest step in the centre, receives a gold medal and the title of Olympic champion. The second-place athlete stands to the winner's right, and receives a silver medal; while the third-placed athlete stands to the left and receives a bronze medal.

What does the 2022 Olympic medal look like?

The Beijing 2022 medals - named "Tong Xin", meaning "together as one" - are composed of five rings and a centre; the design is based on Chinese ancient jade concentric circle pendants with the five rings representing the Olympic spirit to bring people together and the splendour of the Olympic Winter Games being shared ...

Do Olympians get paid?

Olympic athletes do not get paid by just attending the Olympic Games. However, if an athlete earns a medal, there is a medal bonus attached to it. A gold medal is worth $37,500, a silver medal is worth $22,500 and a bronze medal is worth $15,000.