It was interesting to read wrestler Sushil Kumar will miss the selection trials in the Capital. News of the two-time Olympic medallist — bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and silver in the 2012 London Olympics — has again made headlines.
The Indian team for the Asian qualifiers will be selected in New Delhi today. After that, the team for the Tokyo Olympics will be decided upon subject to the qualification process. There is considerable interest around all this despite an ongoing India versus England T20 international cricket series.
Having tracked Sushil’s glittering career for well over 15 years, there is no doubt he is the one of the most charismatic Indian athlete to have dominated the history of the Olympics. For a country which craves for medals at the Olympics, it was hockey which brought glory in yesteryears with Dhyan Chand still talked of with huge respect.
Once Leander Paes broke the trend and won bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, it was a new dawn for Indian sport. Karnam Malleswari followed it up with a bronze in at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The next edition in 2004 saw Col RVS Rathore fire silver in double trap at the Athens Olympics.
Then came the biggest Olympics for India, where on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, Abhinav Bindra created history by winning the air rifle gold. Sushil, an underdog of sorts, had lost in the  first round in the 66kg category in Beijing.
At that time, most people were unaware of the repechage system, which came to Sushil’s aid. That the champion muscled his way through three grinding rounds to win bronze was historic. After the Dada of wrestling, KD Jadhav won bronze in 1952 at the Helsinki Olympics, Sushil’s efforts were an affirmation the sport was still alive.
Wrestling is a common man’s sport to which masses can relate. His bronze was inspirational and he achieved it despite a lot of hardships. His repechage bouts were tough in the sense there was no masseur and Kartar Singh, the manager, had to chip in.’
Reams were written about Sushil, his voyage and the modest family background. The boy from Chattrasal Stadium had become hero and an icon. Sushil did well not to let the adulation and accolades get to him.
The show in London, four years later, where he won silver, was memorable. He lost the final to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu. By then, Sushil was married to Chhavi and she was there to soak in the atmosphere and the whiff of a big medal at the Olympics. Sushil’s humility always stood out. He never had any airs about himself and stood on terra firma.
Wrestling is a sport where the Guru-Shishya parampapara is still intact. That is why you will find legend Sushil still touching the feet of his gurus, notably Mahabali Satpal, his father-in-law and a champion in his own right.
There was chaos when Sushil was attempting to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016. By then, he had to move up the higher weight category (74kg). The Sushil versus Narsningh Yadav episode is well known, in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics. The Wrestling Federation, too, messed up things big time then. Narsingh was a dope cheat at that time and was still sent to Rio. The rest is history.
Today, Narsingh is a “clean man.”
So, where does that leave Sushil, who in the last few months has spent more time away from the mat? He has been in the news for the wrong reasons thanks to a messy federation called the SGFI (School Games Federation of India). Luckily, the mess has been cleared and Sushil now heads it.
Ideally, Sushil, deprived of practice, should now focus on the SGFI, where he has a large role. Being an administrator and a competitive athlete is impossible. Sushil’s brand value can never get devalued as the two Olympic medals are rare. Even Abhinav Bindra could not make it two, as he finished fourth in Rio and then retired.
To my mind, Sushil has a super role to play. And for that, he does not need to compete, but groom talent. His experience is huge. Ideally, he should not even think of competing in the selection trials even at a later stage.
Sushil has nothing to prove anymore in the sport. Where he needs to prove himself is an administrator. And for someone with his discipline and passion, the SGFI beckons.
