In the end, the temptation to be egged on and perform in front of the home crowd proved too strong to resist for wrestler Sushil Kumar
In the end, the temptation to be egged on and perform in front of the home crowd proved too strong to resist for wrestler Sushil Kumar. The world champion, who won gold in the 66kg category freestyle-wrestling event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games, had contemplated giving this extravagant event a miss. 
Sushil Kumar
Sushil had sustained an injury during the World Championships in Moscow in September and was struggling with his fitness for some time. But immediately after landing in the country, he was under pressure to participate and prepare for the October 3-14 CWG.u00a0 "We thought of skipping the CWG," Yashveer Singh, one of India's wrestling coaches told MiD DAY at the Games Village yesterday.
"But then, we thought that Sushil, who has become a national icon, will not get an opportunity to showcase his talent in front of the home crowd and we decided to field him," Singh added.
Sushil's gold painted a rosy picture, but eventually, the injury got the better of him and he had to pull out from next month's Asian Games in China.u00a0
"It is very sad," the Beijing Olympic bronze medallist told MiD DAY yesterday. "But there are a few big competitions, including the London Olympics, in a couple of years. My aim is to recover completely and get going for the major international tournaments next season," added Sushil.
Sushil's gold was among the ones through which India pipped England to clinch the second spot in the
medals tally.His absence will hurt the Indian wrestling contingent a great deal at the Asian Games.
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