03 September,2020 07:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Narsingh Yadav
With his four-year doping ban now completed, wrestler Narsingh Yadav is all pumped up and excited to join the national camp. The Mumbai athlete leaves for Sonepat today.
The 2014 Incheon Asian Games bronze medallist will be back at the same place where his life turned upside down four years ago. The grappler claimed that his food and drinks were spiked by rivals during the national camp. As a result, Yadav, a 74 kg freestyle wrestler, flunked the dope test that cost him his Rio Olympics spot.
"I am feeling good as I will be a part of the national camp in Sonepat once again. I am confident of giving my best in the Tokyo Games. All focus will be on my training and I would like to grab this opportunity to come back strongly. This camp is very important for me as I will be training with all top wrestlers of
our country," Yadav told mid-day on Wednesday.
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"I had to suffer unnecessarily. I was confident of winning a medal at the Rio Olympics. Whenever I think about those days, it hurts me. However, I am preparing to qualify for the Olympic Games and win a medal for the country.
I am looking to spend some quality time in the camp. I have worked hard on my fitness and tried to make full use of the lockdown period," said Yadav, who won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas.
When asked about his rivalry with two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, Narsingh said: "I just want to win an Olympic medal for the country. Whoever is my competitor, whether he is Jitender Kumar [silver medallist at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2020 at New Delhi], Parveen Rana [2019 Asian Wrestling Championships, China silver medallist]â¦there are five to six wrestlers in my 74 kg category...I want to perform better than all of them."
The last four years have been extremely tough. "I got immense support from my family, my wife [Shilpi Sheoran], who is also a wrestler, my coach [Jagmal Singh] and friends. They motivated me to keep training and wait for the opportunity," he signed off.
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