At the Asian Games last year, he lost in the first round. This August, he lost in 90 seconds when World No 5 and Asian Games champion Bekzod Abdurakhmonov pinned him at a tournament in Minsk, Belarus. That’s a ridiculously unimpressive record for a former world champion and a multiple Olympic medallist. Sushil Kumar is not the champion he was. His body is no longer the bastion of perennial strength and his immense power is slowly fading.
Endurance remains the magical word. Age is not just a number anymore but a reality that stares mercilessly at him. The collector of innumerable medals has been reduced to just another wrestler, toiling relentlessly to secure an Olympic berth — his fourth — and wrest some glory before he signs off a glittering career. At 36, his aching body is just a personification of the extraordinary struggles of a fulfilling career.
Knees are already strapped. After a while, his trainer comes and tapes his wrist, too. Every now and then, he keeps shaking his right wrist, grimacing, while his new coach-cum-sparring partner Kamal Malikov flips him over. The irony is that his coach is four years his junior. The power that nourishes his physical strength seems to come in spurts. The faint glimmer in his eyes is the only reflection of his untrammelled belief in his prowess. As the invisible hands of fate flirt with his destiny, when the dirt of present controversies (he has had a few recently) threatens to muddy the enviable records of the past, Sushil is getting ready for one last hurrah at the World Championships and maybe the 2020 Olympics — one target at a time.
The door shuts with a metallic clank. Sushil’s glance slices through the dimly-lit wrestling hall, carved out of the basement parking area underneath the sprawling Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi. Two fit young men, definitely not pleased to see us, pry with enquiring eyes. No one dares to disturb him during training — a sacred space where he performs his tapasya. He trains alone. The hall resembles a dark and dingy gym plucked right out of a ghetto.
Hidden behind the facade, nestled deep within the subterranean crust, away from the daily din of the mortal world, is a well-equipped wrestling centre where champions are born. Two life-size pictures of Sushil and his coach Satpal adorn one side. The first thing that strikes one is the quietness. The hustle and bustle of the maddening traffic on the adjacent Ring Road of North Delhi doesn’t penetrate here, nor does late August’s humidity. The acrid smell of sweat and pain-relief sprays hangs in the air as jets of cool air waft through aluminium ducts. The mats are not new but well-maintained.
Sushil is grappling with Malikov during one of his practice rituals. He has had around 45 sessions since the Russian joined his team in April. He is no longer a reticent, media-shy man and speaks with aplomb. In 2008, after the Olympic bronze in Beijing, it was difficult to get him talking. But now he knows what we want. He holds my hand and takes me around the hall. “Acchha hai na?” he asks pointing inside a hall that harbours wrestling equipment, including the rope, one of the many hanging from the sky at the centre.
The 2010 gold medal that Sushil won is tucked into the annals of wrestling lore. He knows he is not the favourite this time in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. The holds are not getting any firmer. In short, he is vulnerable and the only thing preventing him from disintegrating is his strong mind. “I’m lucky with my coaches. I’ve had the privilege of working with some great gurus and coaches,” he says after an intense training session of more than two hours.
A young wrestler brings a bottle of water while another gives him a towel — a luxury he can afford now. “See how we trained today! Kamal is very good and is helping me get into shape.” He is an Olympic medallist and a former world champion, so what is it that he needs to learn? “I need someone with whom I can grapple, someone who will show me where I am going wrong,” says Sushil, who still trains under the watchful eyes of Georgian Vladimir Mestvirishivili. Sushil won medals in 66kg at the Olympics and World Championships. After he shifted to 74kg, apart from Commonwealth Games, it has been a struggle.
“No wrestler is perfect,” says Sushil. “I am not perfect. I have not seen a wrestler who is perfect. We are all seeking perfection and train accordingly. So I have hired him. Technique needs to be sound and my defence needs to be strong.” He knows how critical technique will be now. Malikov’s wrestling pedigree is nowhere close to Sushil’s but he did participate in World Cup, national championships in Russia and some Grand Prix. “He is good and that’s why we have chosen him,” assures Vladimir. “We take care of technique. He is a good wrestler.
And the sport is quite famous from where he comes from – Dagestan. Our aim is to fine-tune our technique.” He lives at the centre and practices four-five hours a day. And instead of long hours, it’s in short intense bursts. During morning sessions the team concentrates on building his endurance and power. After achieving so much, motivation can play havoc on the brain. “It was 2002 or 2003 when I started competing and even as a junior I used to compete in seniors,” he recollects. There are a couple of other wrestlers warming up on the adjacent mat, who too spar but are no match.
“Age is no problem when you have this and this,” says Vladimir, his finger moving from chest to head. “Sushil has very good jigar and very good dimag. He is 23 for me. I have no problem coaching him even though he is a champ. I know him very well and we work on specifics.” Sushil’s jigar (passion) keeps him alive. “I have done some test (profiling) and it says I am like a 17-18-year-old,” he says laughing.” Motivation yeh hai ki sare log lage hua hai (Everyone is helping me). I also have some responsibility to give them back. That keeps me going. I have not lived for me.”
What do you want to achieve? “Jo mil jaye (Whatever I get),” Sushil turns sombre. “When a man wants to achieve something, it gets very difficult. Keep it with you that you have a target and then try achieve it. But if you think that you have to achieve something and pursue it, you will go mad. So pursue your target earnestly and enjoy.
“While training, everything should be all right. From time to time, the target changes and whatever I am directed to do, I do. They concentrate on my technique, endurance and power.” The team is working on his defence.As dusk envelopes, Sushil’s shadow merges in the darkness. He hums a song and exits the arena. The next few days will determine his future. Even if he returns vanquished, his legend will live on.