CHENNAI: Wrestling was an obvious choice for Ronak Dahiya in his formative years. His father Jaibir Dahiya was a wrestler who later forayed into coaching and refereeing. While it was no brainer for the son to pursue wrestling, he was not given the liberty to choose a style as Jaibir wanted his son to wrestle in both — Greco-Roman and freestyle. Reason — both styles complement each other and Greco-Roman wrestling makes one a better freestyle grappler.
After pursuing wrestling in both categories for over a decade, Ronak, who turned 18 on August 19, can now finally pick up a style of his choice. And he most likely capped off his stint in GR with a bronze medal in the ongoing U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan. Already a silver medallist in the event last year, the result might not be as per his expectations but a podium finish at the Worlds is no mean feat. "I will say a few things didn't go his way but anyway a medal is a medal and I am happy with it," Jaibir told this daily.
Jaibir, a level 1 referee, explained the reasons behind his son competing in both styles. "A GR wrestler is better in ground wrestling where you have to defend from a dangerous position that's why freestyle grapplers train with them in special sessions. So it improves your defence. In GR, the competitors are not allowed to attack below the waist. So one has to attack the upper body. This also comes in handy in freestyle as it helps you improve in standing position. This is the reason, I made Ronak to compete in both styles," elaborated the father.
At the international level, Ronak has competed only in GR style winning four medals (a bronze each in the 2023 and 2024 U17 Asian Championships and a silver and a bronze in the 2023 and 2024 U17 World Championships respectively). At the national level, he has competed in the freestyle as well bagging medals in junior and cadet championships.
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"The time has come for him to choose one style. Now he will compete in the freestyle. Given his weight category in the GR, he will now take part in the 125kg in the freestyle," added Jaibir.
Ronak started wrestling at his village in Garhi Bindroli near Sonepat, Haryana and then moved to the iconic Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi that has produced several Olympic medallists like Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya and Aman Sehrawat. Jaibir is coaching his son at the venue along with other coaches under the guidance of Satpal Singh.
"Competing in GR also made his legs strong. Strong legs stand you in good stead in wrestling. It can be of great help in freestyle as leg defence plays a big role. I hope our plan works as the competition will only get tougher from here onwards," said Jaibir.
Meanwhile in Amman, Ronak registered an 8-1 over Artur Manvelian in the 1/8 round to begin his campaign on a positive note. He then defeated Daniil Maslakou 10-1 by technical superiority in the quarterfinals to storm into the semifinal. His first two opponents were competing as individual neutral athletes. He, however, lost the semifinal bout 0-2 by a fall to Zoltan Czako of Hungary. Ronak then beat Emrullah Capkan of Turkey 6-1 in the bronze medal playoff to finish on the podium.
Four in finals of women wrestling
As many as four women reached the finals of their respective weight categories in the U17 Worlds. Aditi Kumari (43kg), Neha (57kg), Pulkit (65kg) and Mansi Lather (73kg). All the finals will be held on Thursday.