Rahul Aware's dad: Hot headed nature helped him become a good wrestler

Aurangabad: Balasaheb Aware recalls the day he identified a wrestler in his "hot-headed" son and decided to channelise that raw aggression into the sport. He never regretted his decision. Yesterday, that "fighter-cock" boy from a nondescript village in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, who has grown into a brawny Rahul Aware, did his country proud by clinching a bronze at the World Wrestling Championships. The grappler outclassed Tyler Lee Graff, the 2017 Pan-America champion, 11-4 in the 61-kg bronze play-off.

"Rahul used to quarrel a lot when he was in school. He was a short-tempered kid. Every day, someone in the village would come to me with his complaints. It was then that I recognised the wrestler in him. His hot-headed nature helped him become a good wrestler. His journey in wrestling began with his hot-headed nature," said Balasaheb, also a former wrestler, from Beed district. Balasaheb, who runs a free training centre for budding wrestlers in the village, said Rahul deserved a gold medal. "But for that he needs to work harder," he said.