CHENNAI: Even as the flood was wreaking havoc in his village Devthane in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district last month, 20-year-old wrestler Prithviraj Babasaheb Patil was sweating it out at the SAI centre in Sonepat.
The overflowing Kasari river had completely damaged the sugarcane crop in his field as it did in 2019, but Prithvi knew he has to move on and concentrate on the upcoming Junior World Championships scheduled in Ufa, Russia.
The sugarcane crop was the only source of income for the Patil family but they too preferred to overlook the loss, pinning hopes on Prithvi to lessen the extent of damage by winning a medal in the junior worlds. And he did that on Wednesday by beating local favourite Ivan Kirillov 2-1 to bag a bronze medal. The 92kg grappler had booked a place in the national squad by winning trials held in New Delhi earlier in July.
“Our family is dependent on farming but the flood destroyed it completely. The same happened two years ago and the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help us either. Prithvi’s medal is a big relief for us especially in these difficult times,” Sangram Patil, the wrestler’s uncle, told this daily.
While he won his opening bout comfortably, he lost to eventual champion Rocky Joseph Elam, from the USA, in the quarterfinal. He defeated Uzbekh wrestler Mukhammadrasul Rakhimov 11-4 in the repechage round before prevailing over the Russian opponent in the bronze medal bout.
Prithvi’s father Babasaheb and his two uncles were also wrestlers. Financial constraints meant only Sangram could pursue the sport at a competitive level.
“We couldn’t do that but desperately want Prithvi to excel. I guide him along with coaches at Shinganapur akhada. We are counting on him to make it big as that will help the family financially as well,” added the uncle. The wrestler had a fruitful year so far as he won silver in the Senior National Championships in January before finishing on top of the podium in junior Nationals three months later.
The bronze in junior worlds is the icing on the cake and will motivate him to set his sights higher and eye a medal in the Senior World Championships scheduled in Oslo, Norway, from October 2 to 10.
“After returning, he will stay put in New Delhi to prepare for the trials scheduled on August 31 to select team for the senior worlds. If he manages to win the trials, this can be a good beginning for him at the senior level,” said Sangram.
The trials could establish the rise of the wrestler from Maharashtra, who is a rare commodity in an Indian wrestling scene largely dominated by wrestlers from states like Haryana.