Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt confessed that it was the failure at Beijing that kept him going as h... Read More

NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt was felicitated by the Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) at a quiet function here on Wednesday. Dressed in white shirt and formal pants, Yogeshwar patiently greeted everyone with a smile even as his black right eye reminded everyone of his struggles before landing the medal.

One couldn't help but ask about the injured eye. "It (injury) happened during the second bout and flared up during later bouts. But, it's getting better," Yogeshwar, who had come with his mother and brothers, said.

The grand, noisy reception on his arrival at the airport on Monday midnight had clearly left the wrestler overwhelmed. "Whenever we return home with a medal, small or big, we always get a good reception. But, yesterday there was a lot of crowd, it felt good that people entered inside the airport and lifted me on their shoulders," the 29-year-old said.

While basking in the glory of his big achievement, Yogeshwar did not let his battle against injury slip his mind. His career had looked in doldrums after the 2004 Beijing Olympics as he fought with injuries. But the Haryana grappler spent 10 hours everyday for six months to recover from multiple surgeries and get back into shape. "My career as a wrestler was almost over after I picked up some career threatening injuries. I wouldn't be standing here with the medal in my hand if MCT wouldn't have taken care of my treatment in South Africa," he recalled. MCT announced a cash award of Rs 31 lakh for him at Wednesday's ceremony.

Yogeshwar confessed that it was the failure at Beijing that kept him going as he craved for a medal everyday for four years. "If I had won a medal at Beijing and if then the injuries had followed I may not have fought hard to come back. I would have simply quit," he said.

Talking about his experience at the London Games, he said, "During the repechage round, I knew I had to give it my all as I was not ready to wait for another

four years."

The grappler also spoke about the tough draw he had to face. "Out of 19 wrestlers, five-six were either world champions or Olympic champions. We had trained for gold. But the group was very tough," he said.

When asked about his take on awards and rewards, Yogeshwar was brusque. "I played to win and never cared about sponsorship, advertisements or any award. I did not apply for the Khel Ratna."

Olympics may be over, but Yogeshwar doesn't want the good times to end, having set his sight on the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. "We have just returned. People now want us to train for Rio 2016. But, the target is 2014 Asian Games and CWG. If I stay fit I will surely participate at Rio," he said.