Somveer gave an unmatched performance to win the 84kg freestyle gold on the concluding day of the National wrestling championship at the Nandini Nagar College campus here on Sunday.
The teenager from Rohtak defeated three rivals before pinning Jonny Choudhary of Himachal Pradesh on the mat in a semifinal clash. In the final, he recorded a commanding win over Surajveer Singh for his first National title.
The 84kg final was an exhibition of Somveer’s agility and strength against a strong opponent like Surajveer.
The 2011 junior Asian silver medallist relied on his stamina to recover from difficult situations and register a 4-2, 3-0 victory.
Somveer’s authoritative style reminded one of Mausam Khatri, who had impressed one and all with his fine performances during his early days at the National level.
In a way, Somveer, son of former international wrestler Suresh Kumar, made up for the absence of Khatri, who was recently suspended for an anti-doping violation.
Twenty-three-year Parvesh Kumar Chikara from Haryana was another performer who made his mark by bagging his maiden National title in the 96kg freestyle category.
In the last-four stage, Chikara came from behind to beat Railways grappler Varun Kumar ‘by fall’ (0-1, 2-0, 3-1).
Parvesh carried forward his good form to pip Sumit in the summit clash. After blocking a late attack from Sumit and winning the first period 1-0, Parvesh, a former National junior champion, fought back to bridge a three-point gap before snatching a 6-4 win in the second period.
Controversial bout
Railways wrestler Varun Kumar edged out Gurpal Singh of Punjab in a controversial repechage bout, halted by several rounds of video referrals, to emerge as one of the bronze medallists in 96kg freestyle.
Anita, a gold medallist in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, overcame Navjot Kaur of Punjab to secure the 67kg women’s crown. In the final, Anita was successful in attacking the legs of Navjot and taking the opening period 2-0.
The Punjab girl stayed in contention by winning the next one 2-1.
Anita used her experience and solid defensive skills to stop a late charge from Navjot and win the decider 2-0.
The medal winners:
Men: Freestyle: 84kg: 1. Somveer (Har), 2. Surajveer Singh (Pun), 3. Vijay Kumar (UP) and Manjeet (Goa); 96kg: 1. Parvesh Kumar Chikara (Har), 2. Sumit (Del), 3. Varun Kumar (RSPB) and Satyavrat (Utk); 120kg: 1. Hitesh (Har), 2. Naveen (Del), 3. Joginder Kumar (RSPB) and Navneet Sharma (HP).
Greco Roman: 96kg: 1. Bhim (SSCB), 2. Amit Kumar (RSPB), 3. Sunil (Pun) and Manav Khullar (Miz); 120kg: 1. Dharmendra (RSPB), 2. Naveen (SSCB), 3. Virendra (RSPB) and Basant (SSCB).
Women: 67kg: 1. Anita (Har), 2. Navjot Kaur (Pun), 3. Manu Tomar (UP) and Nikki (Har); 72kg: 1. Jyoti (Del), 2. Anshu Tomar (UP), 3. Kiran (Har) and Ekta (Del).
Team championships: Men: Freestyle: 1. Haryana (59 points), 2. Delhi (44), 3. Railways (42). Greco Roman: 1. Services (64), 2. Railways (53), 3. Haryana (46).
Women: 1. Haryana (66), 2. Uttar Pradesh (56), 3. Delhi (51).
