Mumbai wrestler Narsingh Yadav, who was exonerated of all doping charges by NADA, tells mid-day he never shed a tear throughout ordeal, though his coach Jagmal Singh got emotional at times
The man who has stood by Narsingh Yadav through every single moment of his stressful last fortnight or so, heaved a bigger sigh of relief than the wrestler himself when the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA) exonerated the 74kg grappler from doping charges yesterday. In fact, Narsingh's coach Jagmal Singh, for a moment even compared Monday's joy to that of winning an Olympic medal, which he and his ward have targeted in Rio.
Also read: Whew! Narsingh Yadav gets clean chit, will compete in Rio Olympics
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Wrestler Narsingh Yadav's supporters carry their hero as they celebrate the National Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to give him a clean chit in a doping episode that had threatened his Rio Olympics trip. Pic/PTI
"I'm sure I will be equally ecstatic when Narsingh, by God's grace, wins a medal in Rio, but the happiness today is no less, because had it not been for this verdict, there would've been no Rio Olympics for Narsingh. More importantly, I'm happier because this verdict is a message for all those young and budding wrestlers across the country never to give up on the sport and the truth," Jagmal told mid-day from the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) office yesterday in New Delhi amidst discussion with the federation on Narsingh's next move.
Also read - Narsingh Yadav: Ready for narco or any test to prove I am clean
"Narsingh has two options: Go to Georgia where the rest of our Olympic wrestling contingent is training, or go directly to Rio. That's what we are discussing with WFI," added Jagmal.
Jagmal Singh
Narsingh meanwhile, told mid-day that he never once doubted the fact that the truth would emerge and the world would know that someone had sabotaged his food or drink. And for that reason, he never lost his composure throughout the ordeal. "I did not cry even once throughout the entire episode because I knew I was right. Sachchai ki hamesha jeet hoti hai (truth always wins). In fact, I just kept training hard because my sole focus is to win a medal at the Rio Olympics," said Narsingh.
Also read: Dope-tainted wrestler Narsingh Yadav's coach reckons his ward's food was 'poisoned'
Jagmal hailed his ward's positive attitude. "The boy has been under tremendous stress, but did not give up training even for a single day. He trained for two-and-a-half hours in the morning and for the same duration in the evening… daily! In fact, I'm weak-hearted and got emotional a few times, but he was strong throughout. This morning too, I was a bit nervous about NADA's impending decision scheduled for the evening, but Narsingh told me not to worry and insisted on training normally. He trained for almost three hours this morning before coming for this hearing," added Jagmal.
Wrestler Narsingh Yadav coming out of NADA office in New Delhi on Monday. Yadav was on Monday cleared of doping charges by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), paving the way for him to compete in the Rio Olympics later this month. Pic/PTI
'Thank you, mid-day'
The coach thanked this newspaper for supporting his ward's cause through the fortnight and stressing that the ugly episode has left him wiser nevertheless. "Till Narsingh leaves India shores, I will have not one, but two boys trailing him 24 hours and watching his food and drink. It's our fault that we put the nation through these tense moments. We probably slipped up for a few minutes and our rivals, who were monitoring us round the clock, got the better of us. Even in Rio, I will ensure that Narsingh and his food are never left alone," Jagmal signed off.
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