“It was unbelievable. I have seen the National flag go up in various international competitions but this time it was very, very special. I was so happy,” says Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar in this interview with Rakesh Rao.
“I’m from earth.” This short legend on Sushil Kumar’s T-shirt truly reflects the earthy ways of this simple and soft-spoken wrestler. Big cash rewards, promise of a luxury car of his choice, sudden media attention, the adulation of the entire sports fraternity and the public and much more has not made any difference to his way of life.
Within four days of returning to an “unbelievably big” welcome, Sushil was back with his mates in the dormitory accommodation of his training centre at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium. For someone who qualified for the Olympics by virtue of finishing seventh in the 2007 World championship and moved to third in the world rankings after the bronze in Beijing, Sushil was back to training, washing his clothes and sleeping peacefully, unmindful of the noise made by a rickety room-cooler.
As humble as they come, Sushil took time off to speak to Sportstar on several topics and promptly rushed off to get ready to be the chief guest of a school sports festival. He is almost embarrassed on being asked how it felt to be the chief guest. “This is the first time,” says a nervous-looking Sushil and makes his way with coach Ramphal to meet his mentor Satpal. He needed no reminding that it was the first of many to follow.
Here is what Sushil had to say:On winning an Olympic bronze: Winning an Olympic medal is something every sportsman dreams of. For me, when I won the third bout to make sure of the medal, I was proud of the fact that I could bring my country a medal. I could live up to the expectations of my coaches, elders and fellow wrestlers from where I train.
On the most difficult phase on way to the medal: The three repechage bouts were scheduled in quick succession. Our rules state that a wrestler should be ready for the next bout within 15 minutes. It appears a bit harsh but then, it is the same for everyone. Of the three bouts in repechage, the third one against Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan) was the toughest. I had beaten him once in the past so I was confident. At one stage, he appeared to hold the advantage and was almost winning. Had he managed to bring me down after having got a firm grip on my leg, it would have clearly fetched him a medal. But during the final moments, I could score one technical point. It was almost like snatching away his medal.
On the pressures he faced before leaving for Beijing: I was confident of doing well but barring those from the wrestling fraternity, no one really thought India could win a medal in wrestling. So there was no pressure from the media. For example, boxer Akhil Kumar expressed his confidence in words before and during the Olympics. There were several others who did not. I was one of them. There are five or six wrestlers in my weight division who are all capable of winning on their day. There was no clear favourite. So I always thought that on my day, I could land a medal.
On the key factor that helped him win the medal: It is difficult to pick one. One of the lesser-known facts is that we (wrestlers) were to leave with the rest of the contingent on August 4. But my mentor, Mahabali Satpal, insisted that all three wrestlers leave 10 days later. This really helped because we could maintain our diet at home. Once we landed in Beijing, getting our kind of diet was a problem. With the grace of God, I could manage to keep my energy level high on the day of the competition. If we had left as per our earlier schedule, I don’t think the medal would have been possible.
On how he felt on the podium: It was unbelievable. I have seen the National flag go up in various international competitions but this time it was very, very special. I was so happy. I knew that in the Olympic arena, it was a rare occasion. I knew I had achieved something that would make my countrymen very proud. But I did not know the magnitude of it all. Minutes after the medal ceremony, many Indians from all over the world called up to congratulate me and said I had made them happy. It felt really good.
On being offered a luxury car of his choice: They are showing respect for my efforts. What more can I ask for? Respect and acknowledgement is what a sportsman lives for. I will accept whatever they give. I am not going to demand anything. I feel humbled by their gesture. But now that I am going to get this car, I will learn how to drive.
On what success means to him: Success for me is everything. When I won my first school games gold as a student of class VII, for me, it was the biggest success that I could think of. During my days in the cadet section, I was very excited to win a medal in the World championship. At that time, for me that was the ultimate goal. Next time, I was in the higher weight category and won again. I thought I had raised the bar and the success made me happier. So as you go along, you set fresh goals and try to reach them. An Olympic medal was one of my goals. Now that I have it, I will go for the gold in London. But before that, I would love to win a gold in the Commonwealth Games here (Delhi) in 2010. Though I have three Commonwealth championship gold medals, I am very eager to win the gold in the Commonwealth Games in my maiden appearance and that too before my people.
On what money means to him: Money is a very big commodity in life. But when you have it, you should use it well. For a wrestler, money is something that keeps him going. To meet his daily needs, expenses on diet, training, travel and those related to taking part in competitions, money is very important.
On how he plans to spend the money that has come his way post-Beijing: Nothing will change. Like in the past, my parents will continue to take care of my expenses. If I need anything, I will ask them. Before I won this medal in Beijing, my parents and brother took care of all my needs. But now, with some money coming in, they are planning to spend all on my wrestling so that I can bring more laurels for the country.
On what has been the biggest gain from his Beijing performance: People are showing respect to me and wrestling. As you know, wrestlers do not enjoy a good image. Let me assure you that there is a very small percent of wrestlers who are not good. We are simple people and want to remain that way. With this medal, I can see how everyone is suddenly talking about us. Believe me, we can win many more medals. I wish everyone gave Yogeshwar Dutt and Rajiv Tomar (the two other Indian wrestlers who competed in Beijing) the same respect. They also worked equally hard and are class wrestlers. Unfortunately, they did not win this time. Take my word, they are good enough to win at any world-level competition.
On what amazed him the most after winning the bronze: The way people have reacted to my medal. Since the moment I won the medal, wrestling fans from America, Russia, Canada and I don’t know from how many more countries, have contacted me and asked me to visit their cities. Everyone has been promising grand welcomes and rewards. I know they are excited for what I have done in the sport they all love the most. I told them I cannot promise anything but will surely visit them when I get an opportunity.
On what he likes most about wrestling: Winning. There is no better feeling than winning a bout, even if it is a friendly one. The joy of out-thinking and outmanoeuvring your rival cannot be matched by any other feeling. Secondly, I love working out with fellow wrestlers. On some days, when you can’t train for one reason or the other, I feel miserable. One other factor is that I just love to be at my training centre (at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium). No matter, to which country I go for training or competition, within a few days, I feel like coming back. Even when I go home (to the nearby Bapraula village in Najafgarh), my heart remains here. Training, eating and spending time with my mates gives me a lot of joy. And it is all because of wrestling.
On the combination of brain and brawn in wrestling: I think, wrestling is more mental than most non-wrestlers take it to be. One has to be physically fit, build on stamina and endurance, work on speed and power besides thinking really quickly. Even a split-second delay in taking a decision can prove very costly. Concentration is the key. I have worked on my speed and that is entirely due to relentless training.
On what brought him to this training centre: In villages, as you are aware, every parent wants his son to be a wrestler or a kabaddi player. My father was a wrestler and so was my brother, Sandeep, who competed at the national level. So my father wanted me to be really good at wrestling and brought me here (to Chhatrasal Stadium). I hardly knew the intricacies of wrestling then. But my coaches here helped me learn the tricks and slowly I got better. My coach (Yashbir Dabas) was with me when I first competed overseas and he has been around even now. My other coaches (Ramphal and Virender) have been of immense help in all these years. As a youngster, I was particularly impressed by wrestlers like Vishnu, Rakesh, Anil Mann etc, all from my centre.
On the factors that influenced his wrestling: All my coaches at the training centre and legendary names like Satpalji and Kartar Singhji. I have looked up to them since I was a child. I consider myself blessed that when I won the medal in Beijing, Satpalji and Kartarji were there.
After ensuring the bronze, I went and sought their blessings. Without the blessings of one’s elders, one cannot hope to reach anywhere in life.
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