Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:16
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  Wrestling league rolls out with an eye on the Olympics
BackBack

Wrestling league rolls out with an eye on the Olympics

Sushil Kumar vs Narsingh Yadav? While India's Rio wrestling team may not get decided at the Pro Wrestling League, it's a good place to showcase talent

Narsingh Yadav, in blue, during the 2012 London Olympics; and a file photo of Olympian Geeta Phogat in training. Photographs: Paul Sancya/AP; Ajay Verma/ReutersPremium
Narsingh Yadav, in blue, during the 2012 London Olympics; and a file photo of Olympian Geeta Phogat in training. Photographs: Paul Sancya/AP; Ajay Verma/Reuters

NEW DELHI :

Taking potshots at urban India and its many trivial problems, the promotional clips of the 18-day Pro Wrestling League (PWL), which begins today, across five cities, seeks to draw you into a combat world of grit, sweat and pain. These are shot and delivered with panache, voiced by OIympian wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Geeta Phogat, their rural Haryanvi accents intact. It needed to be, considering the event is trying to stand out in the already crowded Indian sporting land of “leagues".

Cricket, football, badminton, hockey, tennis and kabaddi have already applied the franchise-based league formula with varying degrees of success before this. While most of these leagues exist in a bubble, the PWL, at least in the inaugural year, seems to fit into a bigger picture. Yes, it comes with monetary benefits for the players and layers of hard sell, and its future will boil down to good business sense rather than quality of play. With the Rio 2016 Games less than a year away, the Olympics will be in sharp focus when the fighters get on the mat.

More so since none of the wrestlers, save Narsingh Pancham Yadav winning India the quota place in the 74kg category, have yet booked their 2016 Olympic ticket. Kuldeep Malik, the national coach, says the PWL will help him gauge the players’ comparative fitness levels and where they stand on the world level.

“It will help optimize our selection strategy for the Olympics," says Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, president of the Wrestling Federation of India. “We are eagerly awaiting the league to see how the story unfolds for the Indian players. In combat sport, competition is the most essential and crucial part of preparation."

All the Indian wrestlers participating in the league, comprising six city-based teams, are currently training in Sonepat, Haryana. The PWL will provide some much needed competition for the Indian wrestlers ahead of their Olympic qualifying events, which begin in March.

“The PWL will be good preparation for us ahead of the Olympic qualifying events," says 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt on phone. “Some of the best wrestlers in the world will be competing in the PWL and we will know what mistakes we are making and where we stand, and try to learn what strategies they come up with."

Wrestling has deep roots in Indian history. But like most Olympic sports, India seems to care about it only once every four years. The PWL hopes to throw this ancient sport into the spotlight. It has a blockbuster night too: 19 December, when the UP (Uttar Pradesh) Warriors take on the Bengaluru Yodhas. Essentially two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, 32, taking on 26-year-old Narsingh Yadav. It is the battle of the generations; also one that will give a glimpse of which man is better equipped for Rio.

Yadav won India an Olympic quota place in the 74kg category when he claimed bronze at the Las Vegas 2015 World Wrestling Championships in September. But it is up to the Wrestling Federation of India to decide who it wants to field in that spot; Yadav does not have automatic claim on it. Kumar has the pedigree, but is largely unproven in the 74kg category (he won his two Olympic medals in 66kg). Yadav has delivered results consistently. As a last-minute entry during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he struck gold. He has followed that up with a bronze at the 2014 Asian Games. The prospect of a Kumar versus Yadav clash has been on the boil for some time now. They haven’t faced each other yet. The last time they were scheduled to do so, at the trials for the World Championships in July, Kumar pulled out citing a shoulder injury.

“It will be a good fight," says Yadav, unwilling to dwell too much on the much hyped bout. “But I don’t think the result alone will be considered in (deciding) who goes to Rio. The fact is (that) I won the quota place against some of the best players in the world, so it doesn’t compare."

The other crucial showdown involves Haryana Hammers’ Yogeshwar Dutt and Bengaluru Yodha’s Bajrang Punia (on 12 December). The Indian Olympic hopefuls will be in the 65kg category, which is the most competitive in the men’s events. Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan, who won silver at the 2015 World Championships, and Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig, both of whom have qualified for Rio, will pose a tough challenge for the Indians.

Moreover, it will be a test run for Dutt and Punia. The former has been out of action due to a knee injury while Punia, who has moved up from 60kg since it was eliminated from the Olympics, will compete in the 65kg category for the first time.

Punia believes his bout against Dutt will be particularly difficult; not only because Dutt is an established and experienced star but also because he is Punia’s mentor and hero.

“He always motivates me and tells me if I am going wrong," says Punia. “He is my guru. It will be difficult to compete against him."

While the power plays in the men’s events give them the intrigue, the PWL will provide Indian women grapplers a chance to steady the ship. The women’s contingent came back empty-handed from the Las Vegas World Championships. Babita Kumari’s semi-final finish was the best of the lot. She will face some stiff competition from Sweden’s Sofia Mattsson and Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye, who won the silver and bronze at the World Championships, respectively.

Probably the most shocking result for India at the World Championships was Geeta Phogat’s 0-10 losses in both her matches. The 2010 Commonwealth gold medallist was blanked out by Japan’s Kaori Icho in the opening round and, when given a bronze medal chance via repechage, went down by the same margin to Turkey’s Elif Jale Yesilirmak.

Phogat, playing for Punjab Royals, will have to contend with the Turkish grappler once again in the PWL. Also in the fray in the 58kg category is Sweden’s Malin Johanna Mattsson and the league’s most expensive player Ukraine’s Oksana Herhel, who was bought by the Haryana team for 41.3 lakh.

“Yes the World Championships were disappointing," says Phogat. “I was coming off a long injury break but after having won a bronze at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championship, I was pretty confident of my abilities. Unfortunately, I was drawn against Icho in the very first round and that was always going to be tough.

“The bout against Yesilirmak will be important. I have learnt from the mistakes I made against her in the US and this time I will rectify them and bring a different strategy to the mat."

With India winning two medals in the sport at the London 2012 Olympics and with a glut of contenders for this edition, wrestling is central to India’s Olympic ambitions. The Rio Games will be the final dance, but PWL could well be one of the many rehearsals.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 09 Dec 2015, 07:22 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App