CHENNAI: It’s a long time since wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt shed the fear of failure. A career replete with untimely injuries and unusual setbacks has emboldened him to such an extent that he’s only bothered about a “good” fight and not the result.
But he admits he feared failure before facing Amit Dhankar to ensure his World Championship berth in the 65kg category. It was never going to be a formality in the guise of a trial. Not after Dhankar had sought the court’s intervention after Yogeshwar was given automatic entry for the Glasgow Games.
Yogeshwar whittled out gold and muted the critics, but there still was a brooding sense of grudge when he met Dhankar for the first time in a competitive match since the slander. “I admit there was an extra bit of determination because if I had lost, people would have said that the selectors were biased. I can understand his frustration because he has been fighting in this category for a long time, while I took it only recently,” he told Express.
Not often do you find the usually self-effacing wrestler speak so animatedly. “I was hurt, because it was like questioning my abilities and all the medals that I have won for the country. I took it as seriously as an international match. Personally, I don’t hold any grudge against him and we have been getting on well in the camp,” he confessed, after thrashing Dhankar 6-3.
The focus now is solely on the World Championship in September. “I don’t have a World Championship medal. I skipped the last edition to focus on the Asian Games. This time, it’s doubly important because it also helps you qualify for the Olympics.”
Though the 32-year-old’s forced transition to a higher weight category has been smooth — attested by gold medals in CWG, Asian Games and International Wrestling Championship in Sassari — he admits he needs more fine-tuning. “I’ve been doing the basics well and am in good shape physically. I beat a few established ones in the Asian Games and CWG. But I need to fight against more wrestlers to get into peak form. I am working on a few technical aspects as well,” he revealed.
Without Sushil Kumar, who pulled out due to a shoulder injury, Yogeshwar will have to shepherd a predominantly young 16-member contingent. “It’s exciting to lead a young team. They are all motivated and eager to learn. Having been in the camp, I’m familiar with most of them and I’m sure they’ll do well. We can expect at least two-three Olympic berths,” he said.
Among the young brigade, there will be pronounced scrutiny on 2010 CWG gold medallist Narsingh Yadav, who fights in Sushil’s category (74 kg). His qualification match was close, as Parveen Rana stretched him till the last (6-5). But Yogeshwar sees immense potential in the 25-year-old. “He is shaping up well and has a great chance to make India proud in the future,” he said.
But Yogeshwar will feel a void when watching Narsingh fight. The void of close friend Sushil.
world bound
Freestyle: Amit Kumar (57kg), Sonu Kumar (61kg), Yogeshwar Dutt (65kg), Arun Kumar (70kg), Narsingh Yadav (74kg), Naresh Kumar (86kg), Mausam Khatri (97kg), Sumit (125kg).
Greco-Roman: Ravinder Singh (59kg), Deepak (66kg), M Rafique (71kg), Gurpreet Singh (75kg), Harpreet Singh (80kg). Manoj Kumar (85kg), Hardeep Singh (98kg), Naveen Kumar (130kg).