Published>Mon, Sep 13 10 06:53 AM
It took an Indian wrestler over 41 World Championships and 59 years to win a gold. When Sushil Kumar achieved what has looked like an impossible dream for Indian wrestling, he was relieved more than anything else.
Having created history by winning India's first ever gold at the World Wrestling championships ? the toughest competition in the sport, and only the second in terms of worldwide appeal to the Olympics ? Sushil, a bronze-medal winner at the Beijing Games, hardly had a moment to celebrate. He was whisked away for a mandatory dope test.
But soon he was back on the phone. He was dying to talk to people back in India, especially those who helped him reach the pinnacle of the sport once again in a span of little over two years. Sushil had been working towards this moment for the past one year; since he lost out on a medal in the World Championships in 2009. In the same year compatriot Ramesh Kumar stepped into the spotlight after winning a bronze.
"I was expecting it," he told The Indian Express from Moscow soon after the final. "It wasn't easy, but I was confident. I had been working on this for the past one year. It hurt to lose out on a medal back then, more so since I was very confident. But a few silly mistakes kept me out of the podium. I was determined to make it this time around," he said.
Sushil outwitted Russian grappler Alan Gogaev 3-1 in the final of the 66 kg freestyle category, with two crucial points in the first round and one in the second. Only the second Indian Olympic medalist in wrestling, Sushil got a bye in the first round, then beat Akritidis of Greece, Martin Sebastian of Germany and Buyan Jav of Mongolia en route to the final. In the semifinals, he edged out Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan 4-3.
Ramphal, his coach of many years, was over the moon. "Nothing can be better than this. This is much, much bigger than anything else," he said. Asked if this would be ideal preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Ramphal said, "Commonwealth ka medal toh bahut chhota hai iske samne (Commonwealth medal is too small in front of this)."
National coach Jagmender Singh said that with the hard work Sushil had been putting in, it was not a surprise. "He is among the top four in the world in his category and between them, anyone can win on a given day. We were confident of Sushil winning a medal. But the gold is a huge achievement," he said.
Sushil himself, though, hardly had time to think. "I cannot speak much now. I have to give my sample for dope testing. They will not wait," he said.
Source: Web Search
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