LONDON –  Kelsey Campbell’s hopes for an Olympic medal in wrestling ended with a defeat to former world champion Azerbaijan’s Yulia Ratkevich on Thursday at the Excel Center.

Ratkevich defeated Campbell, 4-0, 1-0, in the first round of repechage, or the loser’s bracket, in 121-pound competition.

The match had a touch of controversy. Campbell was behind, 1-0, in the first period when she came close to pushing Ratkevich off the mat. The move would have given Campbell two points and the lead.

Instead, officials gave two points to Ratkevich. The ruling was challenged by Campbell’s coaches, but officials upheld the points.

Ratkevich then won the second period to move to a bronze-medal match.

Campbell declined to blame her defeat on the ruling.

“I can be upset by that call, but you have to recognize I gave up a point before that,” she said. “It looked like she was out, but you have to decisively beat your opponent and not let it come down to a call. You have to create you own destiny out there.”

Coach Terry Steiner also refused to blame officials.

“The foot was out, and usually when a foot is out it’s out,” Steiner said. “But you can’t leave matches up to the officials in those situations. We have to take care of business and we didn’t do that today.”

Campbell had the misfortune to face nine-time World champion Saori Yoshida of Japan in her opening match. Yoshida ruled the contest with two takedowns. It was a convincing victory on a convincing night for Yoshida, who later won her third Olympic title.

Campbell’s American teammate Ali Bernard lost her first-round match to past world fifth-place finisher Jenny Fransson of Sweden in 158.5-pound competition.

“I’m pretty upset,” Bernard said. “I just didn’t have my head in it in the first period and it cost me.”

Steiner agreed.

“Ali was way too conservative,” Steiner said. “It was too much of a chess match.”

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