Let people talk, I’ll go to Tokyo: Sushil

New Delhi, April 6

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“People have this habit of writing me off every now and then but it does not affect me,” says veteran wrestler Sushil Kumar, quashing talk of retirement and insisting that postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has given him a very good shot at qualifying for his fourth Games. The 36-year-old was struggling to make the cut for this year’s Olympics, now postponed to 2021.

Last big medal in 2012

Sushil Kumar is perhaps the greatest Indian Olympics achiever in an individual sport, but he’s way past his prime. His most recent big global medal was at the 2012 Olympics, a silver in the 66kg class. He did not participate in the 2014 Asian Games, and was beaten in the 2018 Asian Games first round.

Set to turn 37 next month, Sushil said: “I am not going anywhere as of now. I have got more time and more time means better preparation.”

Making a comeback at the 2019 World Championship, he showed glimpses of the form that made him look invincible in his prime as he made an early exit. That disappointment is, however, already behind him. “Wrestling is such a sport that if you manage to remain injury-free, practise well, set a target and work on that, you can have a shot at your goal,” said Sushil, the only Indian to win two Olympics medals.

‘It’s my daily job’

He competes in the 74kg category in which India is yet to ensure an Olympics quota. Will he be able to beat his slowing reflexes and qualify? “People were saying similar things in 2011. I know how to handle this. It’s my daily job to manage it,” Sushil said. He was referring to doubts cast in 2011 over his ability to repeat his Beijing’s bronze medal-winning show at the 2012 London Games. However, he ended up winning a silver in London.

The delay in Olympics has also brought his old foe Narsingh Pancham Yadav into the equation since his four-year doping ban will end in July, making him eligible to take a shot at Olympics qualification. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has already said it will allow Yadav to make a comeback.

Yadav was preferred over Sushil for the 2016 Olympics but it all ended in disaster when the former failed a dope test. When asked about the possibility of a face-off with Yadav, Sushil said, “We will see when the time comes. What can I say now about this? All I can say is congratulations to Narsingh that he can restart his career. I wish him the best.”

Jitender Kumar is also doing well in the 74kg class, won a bronze at the Asian Championship. But Sushil, it seems, does not consider any of the compatriots his real rivals. Asked about the competition he is likely to face from fellow Indians, he said: “If you think small, you will achieve nothing. I am thinking about the international wrestlers, who are my likely rivals.” — PTI