JOIN US After being snapped up for Rs 34.5 lakh by the Bengaluru franchise in the Pro Wrestling League auction earlier this year, Narsingh Yadav is confident that the team can go all the way and lift the trophy.
In the city for the unveiling of Bengaluru Yodhas, Yadav, the son of a milkman in Mumbai, has many accomplishments to his credit in the world of wrestling.
Recently, he became the only Indian to win a medal at the World Wrestling Championship held in Las Vegas earlier this year; the bronze medal in the 74kg helped Yadav clinch an Olympic quota place for the country. The 26-year-old says that preparing well and bringing home a medal from the Rio Olympics is a top priority at the moment.
“My performance has been consistent over the last three years and qualifying for the Olympics was my priority. It is good that I have won a quota place but there is still a lot of work left if I have to bring home a medal.
“I participated in the London Olympics as well but could not perform too well there. This time, I am more focussed and have been working a lot harder to ensure I perform well. Now all my thoughts are on Rio and I’m feeling very positive about bringing back a medal,” he said.
With the Olympics set to be staged in August next year, Yadav felt tournaments like the Pro Wrestling League could help his cause rather than pose as a distraction. “It is a fantastic opportunity for us before the Olympics as top players from the world will be participating in the league. The competition will definitely help us prepare better given the exposure we will receive from an event such as this,” quipped Yadav.
As skipper of the Bengaluru franchise, he remained positive that the team was one of the best outfits in the league.
“With players like Bajrang Punia, Sandeep Tomar and Navjot Kaur, we stand a good chance of winning the PWL. It is not only the Indian players but also the foreign represenattion. Each one of the (foreign) players is greatly accomplished and have won many accolades.”
After Yadav’s success at the World Championship, the Wrestling Federation of India has been left with the conundrum of picking either Sushil Kumar or Yadav for the showcase event in Rio. Both wrestlers participate in the 74kg category and as per Olympic rules, even if a wrestler has won a quota, it is up to the country to nominate their candidate.
Yadav, though, opined that it was best that the matter be left to the federation to make a decision. “The decision is purely one that the federation needs to make. In all these years, the case has always been that the athlete who qualifies is the one that represents the country, I don’t see why it should be any different this time.”