London Olympics silver medal-winning wrestler suffered bouts of dysentery, dehydration before 66 kg final
Sushil Kumar would have made greater history had he conquered Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in London yesterday. But the 66-kg wrestler was up against much more than just a fiery Japanese opponent in the gold medal bout.
Moments after Sushil became the country’s first Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler and the only Indian athlete to win back-to-back Olympic medals (he won bronze at Beijing 2008), the Indian wrestling camp in London revealed ‘the other opponent’: “Minutes before the final, Sushil suffered a severe bout of loose motions. He visited the toilet five to six times and lost a lot of fluids in the process. The dehydration made him very weak and that showed in the final as the Japanese actually managed to carry Sushil — something that he has faced very rarely in a bout,” Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) chief coach Vinod Kumar told MiD DAY from London yesterday.
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Sushil (29) won India its sixth and final medal of the London Games when he lost 1-3 to Japan’s Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the summit clash at the ExCel Arena yesterday. The Japanese won the first round 1-0 and executed a strong throw in the second to seal the fight. Moments earlier, Sushil beat Kazakhstan’s Akhzurek Tanatrov 3-1 in the semi-finals. Before that, Sushil dominantly disposed off defending champion Ramazan Sahin of Turkey and followed it up with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Naruzov.u00a0
Entangled: India’s Sushil Kumar (in red) wrestles with Japan’s Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the 66kg freestyle gold medal match at the London Olympics yesterday. Pics/ Getty images, AFP
The string of tough fights though took its toll on the Indian. “We left our rooms at 6 am to come here. Sushil had a couple of bouts in the morning followed by a short break, then the semis, then another break, and the final. He was naturally exhausted and hungry by the time the semi-final was over. So, he quickly nibbled on some vegetables and topped it up with bananas and juice. But it backfired as his stomach gave way. He was a little low before stepping into the ring for the final. So, we gave him some hot tea to sort of freshen him up,” explained WFI secretary general Raj Singh, who doubled up as team manager at the Games.
Needless to say, Sushil was not very happy with his effort. “The first words Sushil uttered to me after the final were ‘gold jeetna tha’ (I should have won gold). That’s the sort of fighter he is. But however hard one trains, one cannot fight against nature; cannot go against his own body. The gold wasn’t meant to be and unfortunately due to factors beyond the wrestling ring. The silver medal, however, does not belittle Sushil’s effort one bit. He has written a brand new chapter in Indian wrestling once again,” Raj Singh signed off.
Earlier...
Kazakhstan’s Akzhurek Tanatarov ends up with a bloodied ear after his 66 kg semi-final defeat to Sushilu00a0
Sushil’s glory chain
@ Olympic Games...
>> Bronze, Beijing 2008
>> Silver, London 2012
@World Championships...
>> Gold, Moscow 2010
@Commonwealth Games...
>> Gold, Delhi 2010
@Asian Championships...
>> Gold, Delhi 2010
>> Silver, Kyrgyzstan 2007
>> Bronze, Delhi 2003
>> Bronze, Jeju Island 2008
@Commonwealth Ch’ships...
>> Gold, London 2003
>> Gold, Cape Town 2005
>> Gold London 2007
>> Gold Jalandhar 2009
Would have loved to hear the national anthem: Sushil
London Olympics silver medallist Sushil Kumar said he would have been happy to win gold in the 66kg freestyle wrestling event and hear India’s national anthem. Sushil lost the final to Japan’s Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu. “I would have loved to hear the national anthem here. The golden days of wrestling are back,” the 29-year-old Beijing Olympics bronze winner told NDTV referring to the bronze won by compatriot Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg category) on Saturday. The national anthem is played for gold medalists at major international sporting events.
PM, Prez, Delhi CM send good wishes
India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab Mukherjee and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit all send out congratulatory messages to silver London Olympics medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar yesterday. Dikshit also announced a reward of Rs one crore to the star grappler.
Sushil’s mother livid at son
Sushil’s mother Kamla Devi was disappointed that her son lost out on the gold medal yesterday. “I am really angry. I don’t know what to say. The gold was there for taking. I don’t know how he missed it,” said Diwan, even as she distributed sweets at their home at Baprola Village near Delhi.u00a0
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