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Wrestling
By Our Special Correspondent
Indian wrestlers Palwinder Singh Cheema (right) and Geetika Jakhar snapped on their arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi on Monday.
The unassuming wrestlers, from the burly Palwinder Singh Cheema to the pint-sized Kripa Shankar, were hustled from one spot to another, with some Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) officials waiting keenly to share the limelight and air their opinion on the success achieved by the young grapplers in England and Canada. Seven gold and four silver medals in the Commonwealth Championship at London, besides six other medals, including two golds from the Canada Cup, justified the participation of the team, which had 13 officials in its ranks. It is another matter that the competitions lacked quality. Without, for a moment, taking away any credit from the wrestlers, things ought to be put in the perspective because the haul was boosted by some easy pickings. The fact that in most of the finals the participants happened to be Indians should throw some light on the exploits. The Indira Gandhi International Airport visitors' area was thrown into disarray for some time as the wrestlers trooped out with pride. The flash bulbs lit up the place as a scramble for sound bytes signalled the presence of a chaotic media. Cheema, gold medallist at the last Commonwealth Games in Manchester, who lived up to his expectations, said "after a long time we've good wrestlers from the lowest to the highest weight categories and I'm sure several Indian wrestlers will qualify for the next Olympic Games." "The competition at the Asian level is certainly stiffer than what we encountered in these tournaments. But these results are good for our confidence," concluded Cheema, who was adjudged the best wrestler in the Canada Cup. Former Olympian Prem Nath praised the wrestlers. "This is a good bunch and I'm impressed by their technical skills. Having regular camps has also helped the wrestlers a great deal. I've lot of expectations from this group," observed the ACP in Metro Rail. Jagminder Singh, coach of the team, lamented the lack of competition within the country even though he had lot of praise for the current crop. "Unlike in the earlier days, wrestling is on the decline in the rural areas. The youngsters are getting disillusioned since they don't see job opportunities ahead of them. As a result of lack of competition, there are wrestlers, including Kripa Shankar, who couldn't be dislodged from the top. This was not the case in the earlier days. But I must say that constant exposure has helped the boys and I assure you at least three for them will fight for a medal at the next Olympic Games," said Jagminder, the National freestyle coach. He pointed out Cheema, Sushil Kumar and Sujit Mann as the wrestlers to watch out for. Mann, who distinguished himself by earning the best wrestler of the meet honour at London, stayed back in Canada to attend to a minor knee injury. The women wrestlers also returned with a gold medal winner in Geetika Jakhar. She claimed the top spot in the Commonwealth meet where India had five silver and three bronze medal winner. However, the Indians disappointed by finishing without a medal at the Canada competition. Among those who received the wrestlers were WFI president and DG Haryana Police Mahender Singh Malik and WFI vice-president Harpal Singh Harpura. The medallists: Commonwealth Championship: Men: Gold: Yogeshwar Dutt (55kg), Sushil Kumar (60 kg), Sokender Tomar (66 kg), Sujit Mann (74 kg, best wrestler), Anuj Kumar Chaudhary (84 kg); Bhagat Singh (96 kg); Palwinder Singh Cheema (plus 96 kg); Silver: Kripa Shankar (55 kg), Krishan Kumar (60 kg), Pawan Kumar (66 kg) and Amandeep Singh (84 kg). Women: Gold: Geetika Jakhar (67 kg); Silver: Kamini Yadav (48), Alka Tomar (55 kg), Manju Shekhawat (59 kg), Kiran Sihag (67 kg), Gursharan Preet Kaur (72 kg); Bronze: Sumel (48 kg), Neha Rathi (51 kg), Gurmeet Kaur (59 kg). Canada Cup: Men: Gold: Kripa Shankar (55 kg), Palwinder Singh Cheema (plus 96 kg); Silver:Yogeshwar Dutt (55 kg), Sushil Kumar (60 kg), Sujit Mann (74 kg); Bronze: Anuj Kumar Chaudhary (84 kg).
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