The spectre of failure and cynical comments on a champion’s ability can mould him into a formidable warrior. London Olympic bronze-medallist Yogeshwar Dutt was wrestling against providence at Dowon Gymnasium on Sunday.
If destiny could be rewritten, his first wish would have been to have his father by his side. For him, Asian Games evokes a somber feeling. He still remembers the day his father passed away, days before the Doha Games in 2006. Despite the loss, which he considers irreplaceable, he claimed bronze. After missing the Guangzhou Games due to injury, Dutt got another opportunity to flirt with fate.
He wanted to win gold to silence his critics, who felt he had become complacent, distracted and not enough motivated. Whatever those comments were, he wanted to win gold for his father. It kept him fighting, despite exhaustion and niggles against Zalimkhan Yusupov of Tajikistan.
True to his first name that means tormentor in Hindi, Yusupov was mean in defence. That only a point separated the winner and loser in the 65-kg category drives home this point.
Wrestling tests your strength and endurance. The medal is decided on the same day and the grappler gets little time to recover between bouts. Dutt’s semifinal game against a tenacious foe — China’s K Yeerlanbieke — drained his energy. He was down 5-7 in the dying seconds and knew he had to use his resources and his experience to overcome him.
Only a pin-down could work and he did just that. He was carried off by the coaches at the end of it. “I was aware of my position but I still believed I could win,” he said. “I knew I can pin him down and went for the jugular.”
In the final, he was oblivious of his exhaustion. He was carrying a niggle in his right calf but such was his motivation that he rose over the pain. No matter where he goes, Dutt’s venomous phete-le reputation precedes him. In the final, despite his persistence, he could not pounce behind Yusupov and hold his leg. The defence worked for the Tajik and Dutt had to toil hard for gold. “The Tajik wrestler was defensive and it was difficult to break him down,” said the 31-year-old. “Even I was lucky to evade his grasp.”
Twice did the Tajik wrestler catch him from behind, and on both occasions, Yogeshwar’s defensive manoeuvre rescued him. “I have been carrying a niggle in my calf since morning and it troubled me more than exhaustion,” he said. “I hope this will silence my critics, who had doubted my commitment.”
The gold, he says, is special. “It’s a very big medal for me as I had never won gold in Asian Games,” said Yogeshwar. “I had won gold at Asian Championships in 2008 and 2012 but not in the Games. So it’s a momentous occasion. I won a medal in difficult times in Doha after my father’s death. I wish he were here.” As of now Dutt wants to savour the victory and get some rest.