Amit Kumar was fortunate to be spotted and groomed early. At a young age, Amit, the second son of a small-time milkman of Nahri village of Sonepat district, got attracted to wrestling and learnt the ABC of the sport at the clay akhara of his village.
“After finishing school every day I used to visit the village akhara . Nobody in my family cared what I was doing. When I was just nine years old, Hansraj pehelwan spotted my talent and brought me to the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. Then my family understood that I was made for wrestling,” says 20–year-old Amit, who is already an Olympian, Asian champion, World silver medallist and most recently a Commonwealth Games champion.
If ace grapplers such as Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt were readily available as role models, a top coach in Yashvir Singh was there to hone his talent. Satpal, the in-charge of the Chhatrasal Stadium, was always an eager mentor.
“When I came here, I did not have any money. Satpalji used to take care of all the expenditure incurred on my food, supplements and other necessary items. The coaches were very supportive. They enhanced my self-belief.”
Amit acknowledges the influence of Sushil and Yogeshwar on him. “On the mat or off it, I try to copy what they do and how they conduct themselves. I like the way they address the public in various gatherings, saying ‘ Hume apka aashirvad chahiye ’ (We need your blessings).”
Amit, however, aims to achieve what his idols are yet to do. “I want to do something which no other Indian wrestler has done yet — win an Olympics gold medal.”
Off the mat, Amit has a couple of targets too. “Since I am a fourth class drop-out, I find it difficult to travel abroad alone. I ensure that someone who knows English stays with me. I will be happy if someone teaches me English so that I do not find it inconvenient while travelling abroad in future. With some Government help, I want to set up a modern wrestling centre and provide facilities to the aspiring wrestlers,” says Amit.