Ramesh Kumar became the second Indian wrestler to win a medal at the Worlds, but he couldn't have done it without the Sushil factor
Ramesh Kumar became the second Indian wrestler to win a medal at the Worlds, but he couldn't have done it without the Sushil factor
India's Olympic bronze medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar narrowly lost out on a World Wrestling Championship medal losing his 66kg freestyle quarter-final bout to Japan's Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu 0-5.
However, there was victory in this defeat for India as Sushil's loss inspired Ramesh Kumar to do what no Indian has done in years clinch a wrestling medal at the Worlds.
Ramesh became the first Indian in 43 years to win a bronze medal in the 74kg category at the Worlds in Herning, Denmark.
Wrestling Federation of India president GS Mandel told MiD DAY from Herning: "Sushil is an inspiration to every member of this contingent. He was constantly talking to teammates before and after bouts. Sushil lost on Tuesday and Ramesh witnessed it from the stands. Later that evening, Sushil and Ramesh had a talk at the team hotel and I'm sure the Olympic champ would have inspired him to do well the next day.
"In fact, Sushil turned out to cheer for Ramesh on Wednesday and would have provided huge motivation"u00a0 yesterday. It could have been a silver for Ramesh had he overcome his semi-final opponent Azerbaijan's Chamsulvara Chamsulvarayev, but the Uttar Pradesh grappler lost 0-3.
Kumar first beat USA's Dustin Schlatter 3-2 in the opening round followed by a 4-2 win over Great Britain's Michael Grundy after which he won the quarter-final against Bulgaria's Kiril Terziev 7-4. However, going by the sheer format of the competition, this bronze is bigger than Sushil's Beijing brilliance, believes Mandel.
"In the Olympics, only 20 entries are permitted per weight category. In the World Championship, there are more than 30 entries per category, which makes it a tougher contest to win. So in that aspect, I feel Ramesh has done a great job. However, the Olympics are a much bigger platform and Sushil has to be the flagbearer of Indian wrestling," said Mandel.
Ramesh continues to be in awe of Sushil. "He is the one who put Indian wrestling on the world map. I'm just glad I could add to the success with a win here. A medal at the Worlds a year after the Olympics goes to show that Indian wrestlers are world-beaters. Now, I'm looking forward to next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Watch out for us in their homeland," Ramesh signed off.
