I was hungry for this medal: Yogeshwar

Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt said on Sunday that he was desperate to win an Olympic medal after a disappointing Beijing Games.

Yogeshwar on Saturday won the bronze in the men’s 60kg freestyle wrestling. “I’m happy to have completed my dream. This is what I have always wanted and I was hungry for this medal,” he told reporters here.

“I could not achieve anything in the last two Olympics. I lost out in the quarterfinals in Beijing. This time I had to do it and I am glad I did,” said an elated Yogeshwar, who brought India its fifth medal at the London Games.

“I want to thank my family and people who gave me their blessings. I also want to thank God without whom this would not have been possible.”

The 29-year-old had been plagued by injuries but overcame them to win the country its third ever wrestling medal since K.D. Jadhav and Sushil Kumar won bronze in Helsinki (1952) and Beijing (2008) respectively.

“After 2008, I thought of preparing for the London Games. I had many injuries. In this sport injuries are a part of the game.

“I concentrated on the idea of winning and not on injuries, and this medal is a result of it.”