Sushil on comeback trail

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New delhi, august 17

Here’s some good news for the Indian wrestling fans. Double Olympics medallist Sushil Kumar is returning to the mat after a hiatus of three years. India’s most celebrated amateur grappler has decided to participate in the third edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), which is tentatively scheduled for November-December this year. And if the London Olympics silver medallist finds his fitness and energy good enough to compete at the international level, he could consider throwing his hat in the ring for next year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

“Yes, I will make a comeback with PWL. Just wait for another three months, and you will see Sushil’s 2.0 version,” Kumar told The Tribune in an exclusive chat. “This league will tell me where I stand in terms of skills and fitness. I’ll take the league as a fitness test. If everything goes right, then the CWG and the Asian Games are well within my sight.” 

“As for my weight category, I’ll discuss it with my coaches and then take a call. Ideally, I would like to compete in the 74kg category,” said the 34-year-old. 

Kumar was last seen in action at the 2014 Glasgow CWG, where he won gold in the 74kg category. Thereafter, he didn’t participate in any major championships, primarily owing to a shoulder injury and his acrimonious relationship with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) following a bitter drama over selection for the Rio Olympics. 

Tinge of Irony 

Kumar’s return to action through PWL is quite ironical — the wrestler and WFI had fallen out with each other ahead of the inaugural edition of the league in 2015. After listing his name in the auction pool, Kumar had pulled out at the last minute, citing lack of fitness. However, many observers felt Kumar wasn’t happy with the way auction panned out. In the auction, Yogeshwar Dutt had emerged as the costliest buy ahead of him. Some felt Kumar was scared of fighting fellow grappler Narsingh Yadav, who had won a quota place for the Rio Games after securing a bronze at the Las Vegas Worlds, an Olympics qualification event which Kumar had skipped. Miffed over the last-minute pull-out, WFI termed it an act of indiscipline. 

Kumar’s no-show ruffled quite a few feathers in WFI, including federation president Brij Bhushan Singh. Things took turn for the worse when Singh rejected Kumar’s request for a selection trial against Yadav for a berth in the squad for Rio. The bickering soon reached the Delhi High Court, which ruled in Yadav’s favour, shattering Kumar’s dream of featuring in a record fourth Olympics. 

Although Yadav was later caught in dope net and was subsequently banned following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), the murky saga damaged the relationship between Kumar and WFI. It also led to Kumar skipping PWL’s second edition.

However, with Kumar confirming his participation in PWL’s upcoming season, it could be assumed that both the parties have buried the hatchet. “You know the kind of man I am. I don’t hold grudges against people for long. Everything is heading in a positive direction. If WFI is ready to welcome me, then why should I hold back,” he said.

Benefiting from Yadav’s absence

Sushil is also benefitting from Narsingh’s absence to some extent. With Narsingh banned for four years, the 74kg category is up for grabs, and there’s no other wrestler in this category at the moment who can challenge Kumar.