Indian wrestlers will win at least 3 medals at Paris Olympics: Narsingh Yadav
Indian wrestlers have won medals at every Olympics since the iconic Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze at the 2008 edition in Beijing.
With the Paris Olympics scheduled to start this July, former India star Narsingh Yadav is confident that Indian wrestlers will continue that impressive record.
"I am confident that Indian wrestlers will come up with another good show at the Olympics. We will win at least three medals at the Paris Games. Medals will come in both the men’s and women’s sections,” the former Asian Championship gold medallist asserted during an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda.
But Narsingh's exuberance may seem misplaced given the events that have transpired over the last several months.
Indian wrestling has been hit by a spate of controversies and administrative issues in recent times which has led to a noticeable dip in the performances at international tournaments.
With a mere couple of months left before the 2024 Olympics get underway in Paris, India is staring at the realistic possibility of not sending a single male wrestler to ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’.
India has bagged just two Olympic quotas – both in the women’s section – with Antim Panghal (53 kg) and Vinesh Phogat (50 kg) emerging successful at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers last month.
The picture is even gloomier in the men’s section. The Indian men’s squad, which has won medals at three of the last four Olympics, managed just three at this year’s Asian Championships and drew a blank at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. Now they are faced with the embarrassing possibility of missing out on even a single berth at the Paris Olympics.
Narsingh Yadav, however, is confident that the Indian wrestlers will start grappling their way to success when the world qualifiers start in Istanbul on May 9.
“We will definitely do well. I expect at least 4 boys to qualify for the Olympics at the World Qualifiers. I also expect two more qualifications in the girls' section, " the former India star said.
"Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalkal had missed out at the Asian qualifiers due to the rain in Dubai. But both of them will definitely qualify for the Olympics. Our boys are ready to prove themselves " he added.
“We had prepared really well for the Asian qualifiers," Narsingh continued. "We received good support from both the federation and the government. Most of our key players had gone abroad for training during their preparations. However, Deepak and Sujeet could not reach the venue in time as their flights were delayed due to the Dubai rains and were disqualified. It was really unfortunate but we are determined to make up for that at the world qualifiers.”
"Our boys struggle to do well as they are unfamiliar with this category" - Narsingh Yadav on India's Olympics medal hopes in Greco-Roman
The Greco-Roman category has been a traditional Achilles heel for Indian wrestlers. However, the WFI has been trying to focus on this category in recent times and results have improved over the last couple of years.
“Our desi kushti is more similar to freestyle wrestling. But Greco-Roman is basically a European style and our boys struggle to do well as they are unfamiliar with this category. Our lower-ranked wrestlers go into Greco-Roman after failing to do well in freestyle. But things are changing now,” Narsingh said.
“Our akhadas have been putting a lot of emphasis on Greco-Roman and there is an outside chance of a medal in Paris.”
One of the best wrestlers in the world in the men’s 74-kilogram category during his heydays, Narsingh Yadav had missed out on an Olympic medal when he failed a dope test ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Even as he struggles to forget those nightmarish memories, the former Commonwealth Games champion is now gearing up for another innings outside the confines of the wrestling mat.
Recently appointed as the chairman of the Players’ Commission by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the former Asian champion is now focused on helping young wrestlers reach their full potential.
"I had dreamed of winning a medal at the Olympics ever since I started going to the wrestling akhada during my childhood days. Unfortunately, that was not to be. But through my association with the WFI, I am determined to help the young wrestlers and fulfill my dream through them," he concluded.