Lockdown diaries: Ravi Dahiya's life revolves around training

The fire in his belly does not let Ravi Dahiya sit quietly. As a junior wrestler, he has seen hard days and is eager to prove himself at the highest level.

Indian wrestler Ravi Dahiya with his bronze medal after defeating Iran’s Reza Ahmadali Atrinagharch at the World Wrestling Championship in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in 2019. “My performances have boosted my confidence a lot,” says Dahiya.

 

For Ravi Dahiya, whose life revolves around wrestling, Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi is home away from home. In fact, Dahiya spends most part of the year in the precincts of Chhatrasal and visits his home very rarely — perhaps once in a year, during Diwali.

So, when the Government gave a call for self-isolation at home to fight coronavirus, Dahiya — who shifted from his village in Sonepat district of Haryana to Chhatrasal at the age of 10 — did not have to think twice.

“I thought, since there was not much time in hand, I should focus on my preparations. I can go home later on after the Olympics,” said the World championships bronze medallist and the Asian champion in men’s 57kg weight class.

Despite the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Dahiya sounded positive.

“It is not in our hands. I hope everything will be alright. I am just concentrating on my training."

The fire in his belly does not let Dahiya sit quietly. As a junior wrestler, he has seen hard days and is eager to prove himself at the highest level.

Read the full story when the latest issue of Sportstar magazine is available on April 8.