Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar says wrestlers are hoping to bag a rich haul in the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, where the sport returns as a discipline after being left out of Melbourne in 2006.
“Wrestlers have always contributed lots of medals to India’s tally in the Commonwealth Games, we are excited as the chances of repeating the show again this time.,” said Sushil, who is currently in the training camp for Indian wrestlers at Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat campus.
“As wrestling was not among the events at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, India missed a chance to boost their medal tally,” Sushil said.
Organisers of the 2006 Commonwealth Games had omitted wrestling from the list of optional disciplines.
“Now with wrestling back among the disciplines at Delhi 2010, we wrestlers are determined to bag a lot of medals for India,” Sushil said, adding that India’s performance in the recent Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi underscored the prowess of the grapplers.
“I was disappointed to miss competing in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Being the title winner at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships, I was a strong contender for a gold medal if wrestling was part of Melbourne’s 2006 Games,” he said.
Sushil’s confidence is high as he remains the reigning champion in the biennial Commonwealth Wrestling Championships.
“I feel proud that my bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics has contributed in boosting the confidence of Indian wrestlers, all of who are now eyeing medals in the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi,” said Sushil.
Sushil said India, Canada and England were traditionally the strong nations in Commonwealth Games wrestling, while other major challengers for medals would come from Australia, Pakistan and South Africa.
The Wrestling Federation of India will finalise the grapplers for the XIX Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 after selection trials on Aug 8 and 9.
Selection trails for men, both in Freestyle and Greco-Roman Style, will be held in Sonepat on August 8, while trials for women wrestlers are scheduled for August 9 in Patiala.
Women’s wrestling has been included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time here at Delhi 2010.