Narsingh vs Sushil : Who Will Wrestle for India in the Olympics?

Will the quota earner, Narsingh Yadav or the legend Sushil Kumar be given the chance to represent India in Olympics?

Narsingh Yadav (L) and Sushil (R). (Photo: Reuters)

Days before two-time Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar moved the Delhi High Court with a request to hold a trial between him and Narsingh Yadav, Gaurav Kalra had delved into the conflict between the two. Read his take below.

If Yogeshwar Dutt’s frenetic somersaults on winning bronze were among the enduring images of India’s Olympics campaign at London in 2012, his best friend Sushil Kumar’s serene run to silver was equally dazzling.

Yes, there was some controversy in the semi-final where he allegedly bit his opponent’s ear, but Sushil pursued glory with the swagger of man who owned the stage. It was an assured, nerveless performance, and despite being tamed by a Japanese army man in the final, Sushil’s place in Indian sporting history was secure.

He became the first, and so far only Indian, with two individual Olympic medals. That London evening, Sushil was already imagining the perfect finale to his grand career – four years on in Rio, he would complete the journey. Bronze. Silver. Gold? He wasn’t shy to say as much.

So here we are. It is 2016. Sushil is 32. Grapevine suggests he’s fitter than he’s ever been over his decorated career. Hungry. Eager. Keen. But he must wait. His seat on the plane to Rio isn’t assured yet. Far from it.

Narsingh Yadav. Six years younger to the legendary Sushil is the front runner to represent India in the 74kg freestyle category at Rio. He makes a compelling claim. At the World Championships in Las Vegas last year, with Sushil missing due to a shoulder injury, he shocked the Indian wrestling community by grabbing the lone quota place for the Olympics by winning bronze.

Sushil Kumar poses with his silver medal during the London Olympics in 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

Among his victims at the championships was the bronze medal winner at the London games in the 66kg category. Narsingh is now the fifth ranked wrestler in his division in the world and hasn’t finished lower than fifth in any competition since the last Olympics.

If I have won the quota for the country, then it is my right to participate in the Olympics too. In India, I am the best in my category.

Narsingh Yadav

A cursory glance at Sushil’s CV over this period and he can’t contest that claim. With his weight category abandoned in 2013, the move up has produced underwhelming results. He’s contested just twice internationally since London 2012 and though he won Gold at the Commonwealth games in 2014, Sushil was a giant among midgets in that competition.

With a challenger having barged boldly through the door, India’s wrestling bosses have been left to make a tough call. Allow the man who clinched the quota, as is traditionally the practice, to go to the Olympics? Or organise a “bout off” between the men, with the winner taking all? Unsurprisingly, Narsingh is convinced he has done enough already and his pedigreed rival will simply have to swallow the bitter pill.

Names don’t win medals, performance does, only performance speaks in sports and not names. If entries are sent by the status of a player, then sports will go many steps backward.

Narsingh Yadav

Narsingh Yadav. (Photo: Reuters)

But is it really as black and white as that? Sushil’s camp point to his supreme fitness, his tireless quest to be ready for the Olympics, and his big stage exploits, that include a world championship gold besides his two Olympic medals to buttress his case.

In essence, desperate for a last tango on the greatest stage of all, Sushil Kumar believes the least he is owed is a shot. If it requires him to quell a deserving challenger, so be it. His case is premised on an enduring sporting cliché- may the best man win, but let there be a fair fight to determine who that man is.

For Narsingh Yadav tough, that argument holds no credence. For him this was never about beating Sushil in a ferocious all or nothing bout. He has devoted himself to a relentless grind for years, aspiring for the right to contest for an Olympic medal. Now, having emerged triumphant at the end of a long, arduous process he sees no justification in being asked to overcome an additional hurdle.

Not long from now, “bout off” or not, a decision will be made. It will leave one man crestfallen. It is in the nature of sport to sometimes be gut-wrenchingly cruel.