Sushil ruled out of World Championships

Gaurav Kanthwal

tribune news service

Chandigarh, July 1

In a major blow to India’s medal hope in the wrestling World Championships, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar has chosen to give the tournament a miss owing to a shoulder injury.

Sushil will not take part in the selection trials slated for July 6-7. The World Championships, scheduled to be held in Las Vegas in September 7-12, is the first qualification tournament for the Rio Olympics. “The shoulder injury is troubling me and the doctors have advised me to be careful with it,” said Sushil.

Sushil’s withdrawal has brightened the hopes of Narsingh Yadav in the 74 kg category. Yadav, rated highly by the coaches, was expected to give a tough fight to Sushil in the trials. Sushil’s injury has also ended the prospect of a gripping contest between the two in the trials. One more reason for Sushil to play safe was that there is still a lot of time and tournaments to qualify for the Olympics. “It does not make sense for an injured wrestler to take part in such a big tournament. If you are unfit you cannot get good results. The country should send its best bet for a medal,” reasoned Sushil. Sushil has not competed in any tournament for almost a year now and in his absence Narsingh has been performing well in the international tournaments.

Sushil’s recurrent shoulder injury had been troubling him from before the London Olympics and it has kept the 32-year-old wrestler off the major tournaments in recent past.

The Haryana wrestler created history in 2010 by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Championships in Moscow.

One who resisted pro offer thrice

Two times Sushil has won a medal in the Olympics, and each time he has been approached to turn professional. But the most famous son of Baprola village near Najafgarh has politely turned it down each time. “Yes, I have been approached two times to turn pro for a wrestling league in the US. Later, an offer came from Iran also. But I said, ‘main yahi pe theek hun’ (I’m all right here).”Considered to be one of the most power-packed wrestlers in his weight category, Sushil would have fit the bill without many adaptations. His style oozes confidence in the way he waits for his opportunity till the dying seconds of the bout, which makes him a delight to watch. Sushil did not disclose how much money was on offer, but said, “Those leagues give huge amounts. But I was not interested, so the talk of money did not come up.” When asked whether pro wrestling is hard as amateur wrestling, Sushil retorted, “Mushkil toh main kuch manta nahi.”Then why did he not consider the offer? Sushil explained, “First, I like to represent my country. Secondly, foreign countries do not suit my lifestyle.” Without saying much Sushil made it known that there are some things in life money can’t buy. — G.K