London Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler says tough draw hampered his chances of winning the yellow metal; promises better show at Rio 2016
India’s Olympic bronze medal-winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt said yesterday that he could have won the gold medal had he been placed in the other half of the men’s 60kg freestyle wrestling draw .
India’s 60 kg freestyle wrestling champion Yogeshwar Dutt
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“My group was a tough one. There were Olympic and World Champions in my group. If I would have been in some other group, I could have won the gold. I lost my pre-quarterfinal bout to Russia’s Besik Kudukhov, who is the current world champion and Beijing Games bronze medallist,” said Dutt on the sidelines of a felicitation function organised by the Mittal Champions Trust.
After losing to Kudukhov, Dutt made his way to a medal through the repechage round as the Russian entered the final. Dutt said he was hungry to win an Olympic medal — the only one missing from his collection.
“The four-year wait from Beijing to London was a long one and I was desperate and hungry to win a medal. I’m thankful to Mittal Champions Trust for having helped me achieve it. When I was injured, they provided the funds needed for the surgery on my leg in South Africa where I spent six months recovering,” said Dutt, adding that he is now determined to change the colour of his medal in the next edition in of the Games at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. “I am 29. I am still fit to go. I am determined to win the gold in Rio,” he signed off.
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