Really pained by events in Indian wrestling but hopeful of two medals: Yogeshwar Dutt

NEW DELHI: The progress of wrestling in India has been 'severely affected' over the past two years due to significant disruptions, according to Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt. Despite these setbacks, he remains hopeful that the six Indian wrestlers competing in the Paris Games, starting on July 26, have the potential to secure two medals.
The sport faced a major hurdle when six of the nation's elite grapplers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, along with Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, staged prolonged protests against the former Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.As a result, wrestling activities in the country came to a standstill for nearly 18 months.
The repercussions of this extended disruption were far-reaching, causing the postponement of national camps and competitions. Consequently, the preparations for Olympic qualification events were hindered, which, in turn, impacted the overall readiness of the athletes for the quadrennial event.
"Yes, I feel really pained with the way the last one-and-half to two years have been for Indian wrestling. The sport has passed through a really bad phase and it has severely affected the sport's growth and had a negative effect on the followers of the game here," PTI quoted Dutt, bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, as saying on the sidelines of an event 'Glory of Five Rings', organised by Manav Rachna Educational Institutions.
Dutt, who had attempted to resolve the deadlock during the height of the protest, expressed his disappointment that the upheaval resulted in a reduced number of Indian male wrestlers securing their spots for the upcoming Olympic Games.
"In 2004 (Athens Olympics), six free-style wrestlers had qualified, after which 3, 4, 5 (male) wrestlers have made it to the Games every time. Sad that just one male wrestler, Aman Sehrawat, could qualify for Paris. But all credit to the women wrestlers, who secured five spots, which is a very good thing to happen," he added.
DDutt declined to discuss Vinesh's potential performance at the upcoming Games. The gold medalist from the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games was a prominent figure in the protest against Brij Bhushan regarding the alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers.
When questioned about Vinesh's prospects in the 50kg category, a relatively new weight class for the 29-year-old athlete who has primarily achieved success in the 53kg division, "See, five girls have qualified and women can win one maybe two medals.
"Some of them are very experienced as well. Be it Antim Panghal (the youngster who will compete in 53kg) or some other woman wrestler... so we have hope that we can win two medals.
"Olympics are never easy for anyone. Everyone has a dream of winning an Olympic medal. Our wrestlers have worked hard, they have some level of experience as well."
Dutt expressed his desire for the wrestlers to maintain their streak of securing medals in four consecutive Olympic Games.
Sushil Kumar's achievements in wrestling are noteworthy, as he secured a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and followed it up with a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. In the same London Games, Yogeshwar Dutt also made his mark by winning a bronze medal.
India's success in wrestling continued at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Sakshi Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal, claiming a bronze. The most recent Olympic Games in Tokyo saw two more Indian wrestlers reach the podium, with Bajrang Punia winning a bronze medal and Ravi Dahiya securing a silver medal.
"Six wrestlers are going to Paris, out of which five are girls. We have got six medals in wrestling in the last four Olympics. We have high hopes from Antim and Reetika Hooda, the new kid. They should win because we have a tradition of winning medals since 2008."