Read More:Virender Sehwag|Sushil Kumar|London Olympics
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Sushil won a historic bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the 2010 World Wrestling Championships. (TOI Photo)
Like Virender Sehwag, Sushil Kumar hails from Najafgarh in Delhi and there is a striking resemblance in the way they approach their respective sports.
It comes to the fore when Sushil dismisses talks about pressure, saying, "Main toh bas apna game khelta hoon aur humesha 100% deta hoon. I never bother about pressure!"
But unlike the outspoken Viru, Sushil remains painfully shy till date. Ask him about his wife Savi, his guru Satpal's daughter, and all you get is a shy smile, before he adds, "Kya bolun ji? All I can say is that neither marriage, nor success has changed me one bit as a person! But she has been very lucky for me and I have beaten some world-class wrestlers ever since our engagement."
And has this newly married couple got a chance to go on a holiday? "Not yet. After marriage, I got busy preparing for the Olympics and hardly got any time. Whatever little spare time I managed was devoted to spending time with the family, as I haven't been able to do that for a while. God willing, there will be many chances to go on a holiday. Right now, there is only one goal and that is to win the gold medal and hear my country's national anthem being played in London!" he says.
Sushil, who won a historic bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the 2010 World Wrestling Championships, sounds confident about Olympics, "Medal toh zaroor aayega, ji! I have worked really hard on my weaknesses and improved my technique a lot. Aggression has always been my forte and will go all out for gold. It all boils down to how my body feels on the day. I firmly believe that India will do far better than the last time."
He qualified for the Olympics a little late, and had an indifferent 2011 before he made a strong comeback to silence critics. Sushil says that he never lets negative feelings get the better of him. "The day I start thinking negative or getting weighed down by expectations, I will stop enjoying the sport and performing freely. I won't let that happen!" he promises.
His rags to riches tale (his father was a bus driver, and Sushil shared a dormitory with 20 others in his training days!) has inspired many to take up wrestling and Sushil feels that's his biggest achievement, "The Beijing success made me a celebrity overnight which helps a sport immensely. I am glad more kids are coming to the akhadas to train. I am glad, we are looking beyond cricket and appreciating other sportspersons too! But hard work has no substitute and it's important not to lose focus amidst all the adulation."
And what about the recent controversy about rotten fruits being served to wrestlers at the preparatory camp for Olympics? "It's not true. The food was okay," says Sushil.
He remains grateful to his family for the continuous support. He says, "Even back then, when we struggled to make ends meet, my parents and Amarjeet, my younger brother, asked me not to worry about family matters and just focus on wrestling. My daily supply of milk, ghee and vegetables was never affected. Even today, when I have attained money and fame, they remain the same. They tell me, tu bas apna khana peena aur kushti pe dhyaan de, baki sab hum sambhal lenge!"
It comes to the fore when Sushil dismisses talks about pressure, saying, "Main toh bas apna game khelta hoon aur humesha 100% deta hoon. I never bother about pressure!"
But unlike the outspoken Viru, Sushil remains painfully shy till date. Ask him about his wife Savi, his guru Satpal's daughter, and all you get is a shy smile, before he adds, "Kya bolun ji? All I can say is that neither marriage, nor success has changed me one bit as a person! But she has been very lucky for me and I have beaten some world-class wrestlers ever since our engagement."
And has this newly married couple got a chance to go on a holiday? "Not yet. After marriage, I got busy preparing for the Olympics and hardly got any time. Whatever little spare time I managed was devoted to spending time with the family, as I haven't been able to do that for a while. God willing, there will be many chances to go on a holiday. Right now, there is only one goal and that is to win the gold medal and hear my country's national anthem being played in London!" he says.
Sushil, who won a historic bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the 2010 World Wrestling Championships, sounds confident about Olympics, "Medal toh zaroor aayega, ji! I have worked really hard on my weaknesses and improved my technique a lot. Aggression has always been my forte and will go all out for gold. It all boils down to how my body feels on the day. I firmly believe that India will do far better than the last time."
He qualified for the Olympics a little late, and had an indifferent 2011 before he made a strong comeback to silence critics. Sushil says that he never lets negative feelings get the better of him. "The day I start thinking negative or getting weighed down by expectations, I will stop enjoying the sport and performing freely. I won't let that happen!" he promises.
His rags to riches tale (his father was a bus driver, and Sushil shared a dormitory with 20 others in his training days!) has inspired many to take up wrestling and Sushil feels that's his biggest achievement, "The Beijing success made me a celebrity overnight which helps a sport immensely. I am glad more kids are coming to the akhadas to train. I am glad, we are looking beyond cricket and appreciating other sportspersons too! But hard work has no substitute and it's important not to lose focus amidst all the adulation."
And what about the recent controversy about rotten fruits being served to wrestlers at the preparatory camp for Olympics? "It's not true. The food was okay," says Sushil.
He remains grateful to his family for the continuous support. He says, "Even back then, when we struggled to make ends meet, my parents and Amarjeet, my younger brother, asked me not to worry about family matters and just focus on wrestling. My daily supply of milk, ghee and vegetables was never affected. Even today, when I have attained money and fame, they remain the same. They tell me, tu bas apna khana peena aur kushti pe dhyaan de, baki sab hum sambhal lenge!"
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