NEW DELHI: World Championship bronze medallist Ravi Dahiya is fully focussed on the upcoming Asian Championships to be held in New Delhi and feels that with the roster of grapplers confirmed to take part, a medal-winning display will fuel his ambitions for the Tokyo Olympics even further.
Wrestlers from top countries like Iran, Korea, Japan, Mongolia will be in attendance and there will be no pushovers. Competing in front of home fans as well as family and friends is also something Ravi is really looking forward to.
“A high-quality field will be participating in the meet and anybody can beat anybody on a given day. Good performance means a wrestler can enter the ring in Tokyo with a confident frame of mind. We have to be fully focussed and with the tournament at home, we need to justify people’s expectations as well,” the 23-year-old told this daily.
Before the World Championships, not many were expecting Ravi to clinch a Tokyo berth along with a medal. The athlete from Nahri in Haryana is aware of the competition in his weight category and wanted to secure qualification in the first attempt.
“For others, it might have been a surprise but in my mind, the sole focus was on clinching an Olympic berth. There are a plethora of talented wrestlers in my weight category and if I had missed out during the Worlds, there was no guarantee I could have made it. Now I can focus on improving, training and giving my best.”
Post the Worlds bronze, Ravi has been name-dropped quite a few times by WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as one of the main gold medal hopefuls. Apart from the usual suspects, the entire nation is now looking at him as well, for an elusive Olympic gold in wrestling. While this is something new for the grappler, he refuses to get bogged down by these talks.
“99 per cent of the time, I try to remain unfazed by such talks and expectations. But we are human beings and sometimes we do end up thinking about such things. I agree that there has been a rise in expectations but the main thing to remember is that my performance must have made them proud and led to this. I need to work hard to keep their faith and that is my main aim now,” the gold winner in the Rome Ranking event added.
Incidentally, he had clinched gold while participating in the 61kg weight category. “I did not want to lose weight so ended up fighting in a higher category. Most of my contemporaries were vying for spots in the same category so it was not an issue.”
Ravi, who trains along with fellow Tokyo-bound wrestler Deepak Punia under Murad Gaidarov, has been working hard on his leg defence and his main aim is to remain injuryfree for the remaining months.
“Leg defence is the main priority but that doesn’t mean we do not focus on other areas. There is no end to learning. Improvement is a constant process and that is what I’m looking at. Wrestling, training and proper rest — this is the mantra I’m following now. Need to avoid injuries before Tokyo. Everyone is looking at me to do well. I not only need to rise to the challenge but also make sure I don’t let myself down as I know my level,” he signed off.