Indian wrestlers try to get a grip

Sushil Kumar has twice been the star of Indian wrestling. First his bronze at Beijing Olympics brought the nation’s attention to the century-old sport. And early this month, he won the World Championship gold in Moscow, which was the first ever by an Indian.

Kumar’s recent achievement has boosted the sagging morale of the Indian wrestling squad, four members of which had tested positive for a banned substance just before the Commonwealth Games.

A tally of 19 golds in Commonwealth Championships in Jalandhar last year plus seven medals at the Asian Championships in New Delhi earlier this year meant Indian wrestlers were peaking at the right time. With the CWG in sight, grapplers were on a high until the doping revelation brought their enthusiasm down to earth.

From the original CWG squad, Rajeev Tomar (120kg), Sumit (74kg), Mausam Khatri (96kg) and woman wrestler Gursharanpreet Kaur (72kg) tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexanamine in tests conducted by NADA.

The negative press surrounding the wrestlers after the tests suddenly made way for some positive news with Kumar’s triumph in the Russian capital. And the onus is now on the other 22 members to build up on the 66kg wrestler’s feat.

Chief coach PS Sondhi could not agree more. “Sushil’s feat could not have come at a better time. There is a new spunk in the camp since his return,” Sondhi told DNA. With 58 medals till now at CWG; including 23 gold, 24 silver and 11 bronze, the 23-member squad is looking to better their previous records. India’s best performance at the Games came in 1974 when they pocketed 10 medals; including four gold, five silver and one bronze. With wrestling not being a part of the previous games at Melbourne in 2006, wrestlers are itching to bring back the glory days.

“It was unfortunate that Melbourne didn’t have wrestling, but after eight years the sport is back in the fold and that too at home. So, expect us to thrive in the situation,” claimed Sondhi.

Kumar said that the crowd will now surely get behind the home team during the Games. “You surely get a kick when people chant your name and not only me but it will help every member,” the new world champion told DNA. In what could be an advantage for Indian grapplers, the Asian championship was held at the same venue where they did well.

Terming the dope offence situation as unfortunate, coach Sondhi said that not only the federation and support staff, but the players too should act responsibly.

“The supplements we get from authorities (Sports Authority of India) are all tested for banned substances. The problem arises when they get stuff from their own sources,” Sondhi said.

The grapplers’ ignorance of continuous flow of information given about banned substances may have also led to the situation, the coach said. However, he said that they should not be looking at the past and that he wants his wards to come up trumps at the Games.

And as the women’s event makes its debut, one should not forget that they are not to be taken lightly. New heroes will emerge in the section with proven performers. The bronze medal performance by Haryana police inspector Nirmala Devi (48kg), Alka Tomar (57), Suman Kundu (63) at the Asian Championship in New Delhi earlier this year, would give them a lot of confidence going in to the Games. Kumari sisters Babita (51) and Geeta (55) have had their share of success at junior level and are tipped to be India’s best hopes.