The Hindu : Sport / Wrestling : The warning from Sports Ministry hurt me: Sushil

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Wrestling

The warning from Sports Ministry hurt me: Sushil

— File Photo

BOUNCING BACK: Sushil Kumar hit back at critics with a golden performance in the German GP in Dortmund.

New Delhi: Still sore about the warning he received from the Sports Ministry last month, Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar believes he has silenced his critics with the gold medal he won in last week’s German Grand Prix.

Sushil said he was hurt after the Steering Committee of the Sports Ministry censured him for being overweight and getting disqualified from the Asian Championship in Thailand.

The hurt grappler, however, took it in his stride and bounced back in style, winning the gold in the 66kg freestyle category in the German Grand Prix in Dortmund.

“The Sports Ministry’s warning on the weight problems during the Asian Championships hurt me a lot. So, I had a point to prove and this gold is a fitting reply to all my critics,” said Sushil.

The Steering Committee had censured Sushil and warned two wrestling coaches — Jasbir Singh and Vladimir Mestvirishvili — last month after the Beijing Olympic bronze medallist was disqualified from the Asian Championship at Pattaya for being overweight.

Blown out of proportion

Dwelling on the overweight episode, Sushil said the issue was blown out of proportion and claimed he tried his best to shed the extra weight.

“It (weight issues) happens sometimes with every wrestler so I don’t think it was an issue big enough to incur a warning. I tried my best to get back in shape and fainted many times while trying to reduce my weight,” he said.

And while the committee did not waste time in issuing the warning, Sushil lamented no one extended a word of appreciation after winning in Germany.

“The Federation has congratulated me on the victory but not a single Ministry official has contacted me after the win,” he said.

First meet

The medal assumes importance for the 27-year-old grappler since this was his first international outing after the Beijing Olympics.

“It feels great to win a medal and that too gold in your first international tournament after the Olympics. It gives a lot of confidence for the upcoming events,” he said. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport