iSport Special: India’s top-most wrestler and Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar talks to iSport on his Gold medal performances to wrestling in the WWE. iSporter Kunal Shah gets the wrestler to pour his heart out on his birthday.
There are champions and there are champions! While India doesn’t boast of many, I must say that the few ones we have are world-class in their talent, but Indian when it comes to their hospitality and humility. Sushil Kumar is one such champion!
I have had the privilege of interviewing world-champion athletes on iSport (Pankaj Advani, Gagan Narang, etc.) and I was only happy when I got to speak with Sushil Kumar too - not just to congratulate him on his Gold medal winning performance at the Asian Wrestling Championships, but also to wish him a very happy birthday!!
Sushil Kumar shot to fame at the Beijing Olympics where he won the Bronze medal for India in wrestling. Post – Olympics, he and his compatriot Vijender Singh have not only managed to rule their respective sports, but also the hearts of the Indian sports fans.
This interview focuses on Sushil’s performance post the Olympics, his training regime and interest in wrestling in Maharashtra and of course his message to all iSporters!
Here are excerpts from my talk with Sushil:
Kunal: Tell us about your journey briefly – a commoner to the Olympics and now of course the Gold at the Asian Wrestling.
Sushil: My success at the Olympics worked hugely in my favour and of course attracted a lot of credit and fame, not for me alone, but also for the sport of wrestling. Post-Olympics I want to live upto my image and stature of a medal-winning wrestler so the Olympic performance encourages me to work harder. Hard work often pays and I have been credited with 4 gold medals - Commonwealth Wrestling, A Wrestling Chamionship in Germany, Shahid Bhagat Singh Championship held in Jalandhar and now the Asian Championship).
Kunal: Can you take us through your final bout? A few good moves or a few bad misses? When did you think that victory would be ours?
Sushil: I won a point in the first round which was very beneficial and in the second round too I wanted to attack. I had a certain plan that my guru (Padamshri Satpal Pehlwan – ’82 Asian Games Medallist) and I had worked upon. We followed the plan, won a point and then could beat him 2-0 to win Gold.
Kunal: Your training regime? How does one train for wrestling?
Sushil: I follow a schedule that is prepared by my coach. It involves getting up early morning at 4am to train. Bouts are planned during different times of the day for the body to get used to. We gym for atleast 4hrs every morning followed by a 3hr session in the evening. The gym schedule depends on the bout schedules, but it’s a tedious schedule involving a lot of physical activity.
Kunal: You and Vijender have shown a cricket-mad India that there can be leaders in other sport too. But do you think the followers have increased?
Sushil: The following has increased manifold. For eg: when I was fighting in Delhi – the bout venue was houseful with people waiting and fighting outside the stadium for tickets. Maharashtra has a craze for wrestling too and I would love to participate in a few tournaments in Maharashtra.
Kunal: Maybe too early in your career, but do you plan to spread the word of Wrestling in India? Train potential wrestlers and encourage kids to take up wrestling?
Sushil: I want to prove that wrestling is a great sport and India can win medals. Once I do hang up my boots, I will have my own training centre to train individuals. India has some great talent and I would love to harness and train this talent.
Kunal: World Wrestling Entertainment – WWE can be credited for making wrestling a global entertainment sport. Any chances that you will end up joining the WWE? Are the mega bucks interesting you already?
Sushil: Our wrestling methods are totally different and ours is tougher. My goal is currently to fight for the Country in the Olympics and maybe hopefully sometime the WWE too can happen. Once I believe its time to look there, I will.
Kunal: Any other sport that you follow? Any role model?
Sushil: I play a lot of football, basketball and volleyball for recreation. I follow a lot of cricket – national cricket is always fun to watch. Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite cricketer and my role model. I met him during an awards function and he’s an absolute gentleman.
Kunal: Where next will you be playing?
Sushil: I will be focusing mainly on the CWG and perform better. I might enter a few tournaments for practice, but the CWG is my main goal.
Kunal: Your message to your fans on iSport
Sushil: I am very happy that iSport has interviewed me and I wish to congratulate Indian sports men and sports fans across for their love and support and hope they follow wrestling as we attempt to take it back to its glory days.
Kunal Shah is a former racer and now works with the Force India Formula1 team. He also plays Hon. Motorsport Editor on iSport and you can mail him on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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