KUSHTI AT JAMA MASJID IN DELHI

KUSHTI DANGAL at GHITORNI VILLAGE

Inter-State Wrestling Competition on 6th June

HimVani

Shimla: A one-day inter-state wrestling competition would be organized at Ganahati, on the outskirts of Shimla, on June 6, organizing officials of the event told HimVani. 

Sports, Culture and Welfare Association, Ganahati, president Harichand Gupta said that wrestlers from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Delhi would compete in the event. 

He said that this is 30th event in the series, organized in respect of ‘Lakhdata Peer’. 

He said that people from the area have unfailing faith on the Peer, who is said to bless the community with high milk yielding cattle.

KUSHTI AT JAMA MASJID IN DELHI

Wrestlers Jagmeet and Vijay Pal to Be Honoured

Balbir Singh

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh Alysh Wrestling Association will honour Bharat Kesari Jagmeet Singh Lucky and Vijay Pal on June 13 at a function at the Wrestling Coaching Centre in Secto30.

These two wrestlers have recently represented India in the World Alysh Wrestling Championship in Kazan (Rusia). Jagmeet, a trainee of Darshan Lal, senior wrestling coach of the Chandigarh Sports Department and secretary of the Chandigarh Wrestling Association will be honoured with a cash prize of Rs 21,000.

Jagmeet, who was declared the best wrestler in the National Alysh Wrestling Championship in New Delhi, finished a creditable fourth. Jagmeet led the five-member Indian team in the World Alysh Wrestling in Russia.

According to CAWA secretary NS Bhardwaj, Vijay Pal will be presented a cheque of Rs 11,000.

These wrestlers returned from Russia yesterday and were given a warm welcome by the the Chandigarh Alysh Wrestling Association and the Chandigarh Wrestling Association.

KUSHTI DANGAL at GHITORNI VILLAGE

Gurvinder Wins Udhampur Wrestling Title

Early Times

JAMMU, May 25: Gurvinder of Garh Shanker (Punjab) clinched the third Annual Udhampur Kesari dangal title beating Abdul Gani of Mallerkotla (Punjab) in the main tough bout that lasted for record 41 minutes at Subash Sports Stadium Udhampur thus entertained the big crowd wrestling lovers. 
This Vishal Dangal a mega wrestling event was organized by district Udhampur fruits and vegetates vendors union in association with J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association Winner Gurvinder was given away a handsome cash prize of Rs 7,000 while runner up wrestler got Rs 4000 as cash prize money from chief guest, Dhani Ram Atri. 
President J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma presided. In all, 67 bouts were played in the one day long dangal.SHO Udhampur Arvind Sambyal, social worker Vikram Slathia, president district Udhampur fruits and vegetables vendors union, Yash Paul Gupta and Sub Inspector, Kapil Gupta were the guests of honour.
Other Results: Fijja of Billawar beat Succha of Taran Tarn, Yassin of Jammu beat Jamit Lal of Akhnoor, Mukha of B.S.F of Dinanagar beat Sonu of Garh Shanker, Rakesh of Delhi beat Kuldeep Singh of Ramnagar, Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh beat Suram Singh of Kot Bhawal, Soara Deen of Mallerkotla beat Sukhdev (Sonu) of Jammu of J&K Police, Kuldeep Singh of Laddha (Bhamag) beat Mukesh of chandigarh, Raju of Kapurthalla beat Prahald Singh of Kalakot (Rajouri), Subash (Chopra Shop) beat Jatinder (Mathura), Rajesh Kumar (J&K Police) beat Teg Singh (Panassa, Reasi), Kala (Nagrota) beat Shiv Singh (M.P), Pappu (Ramnagar) beat Kaka (Amritsar), Ram Sewak (Mathura) beat Radha (U.P), Billu (Jindrah) beat Manjoor (Nagrota), Guddu (U.P) beat Hari (Haryana), Sukha (Garh Shanker) beat Murad Ali (Jammu), Billu (Kot Bhawal) beat Ashraf, Kulbir Singh (Kot Bhawal) beat Naseem (U.P), Akram (Jammu) beat Naseem (U.P) Akram (Jammu) beat Nasib Singh (Mahore). 
Bouts played between Pawan Kumar (J&K Police) and Likat Ali (Panthal), Rajesh (J&K Police) and Narinder (B.S.F), Trithu (Manwal) and Ashok Kumar (Haryana), Raja (Ajnala) and Anil Kumar (J&K Police) and Akram (Jammu) and Gulshan Singh (J&K Police) ended in draw.

Kolhapur Wrestlers Training

KUSHTI DANGAL at GHITORNI VILLAGE

Videos by Deepak Ansuia Prasad




 

Punjab Wrestler Bags Battal Ballian Kesari Title

State Times

JAMMU: Punjab wrestler, Pamma of Dera Baba Nanak clinched the 2nd Annual Battal Ballian Kesari Title defeating Benia of Basantgarh in district Udhampur in the main bout that lasted for 16 minutes at Battal in district Udhampur.  Dangal was organised by Pir Baba Dangal Committee in association with J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association under the supervision of Shiv Kumar Sharma, president J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association. Winner Pamma received cash prize of Rs 10,000 while runner up wrestler Benia given away Rs.5,000 by chief guest, Shiv Kumar Sharma and guests of honour, Deep Singh and SHO Udhampur, Arvind Sambyal.  In the second main bout wrestler Gurvinder of Garh Shanker (Punjab) beat wrestler Roshan Lal of Muthi (Jammu) of J&K Police. Gurvinder bagged a cash prize of Rs. 5,000, Pahalwan Roshan got Rs. 3,000. Third bout ended in a draw between wrestler Onkar Singh of BSF of Kathua and Baj of Dera Baba Nanak.
Members of organising committee and those technical officials who helped in smooth conduct of this Dangal were Deep Singh, Capt. (Retd.) Dhiyan Singh, Vijay Kumar, Kuldeep Kumar, Raj Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Sikander Singh, Rangeel Singh, Moona Khan Master, Swarn Singh, Darshan Singh, Waryam Singh, Capt. Lehar Singh (Retd.), Mohd. Fareed and Om Parkash Sharma (N.I.S Wrestling Police Coach).
Other Results: Tirthu beat Billu, Jammet Lal (Akhnoor) beat Ram Sewak (U.P), Baboo (Jindrah) beat Vijay (Mathura), Shiv Singh (M.P) beat Gopal (Jindrah), Gudu (U.P) beat Gopi (Amritsar), Billu (Jindrah) beat Rajban (M.P), Nasib Singh (Mohare) beat Prem Verma (Jhiri), Kuldeep Singh (Ramnagar) beat Jatinder (Mathura), Pawan Kumar (J&K Police) beat Vijay Singh (U.P), Surinder (Mathura) beat Rajesh (J and K Police), Naresh beat Vijay, Sukha (Ludhiana) beat Laket Ali (Panthal), Kulbir Singh (Kot Bhawal Jammu) beat Ballu (Dera Baba Nanak), Lalli (Garh Shanker) beat Shahia (Ramnagar), Tirthu (Manwal) beat Billu (Kot Bhawal), Lal Chand beat Surma Singh, Bobari (Jammu) beat Lalli (Dera Baba Nanak), Rakesh (Delhi) beat Yasheen (Jammu), Akram (Jammu) beat Kuldeep singh (Ladha), Pradhald Singh (Kalakote) beat Pawan Kumar (Rohtak), Rinku (Bani Basohli) beat Subhash (Panipat), Inderjeet (Garh Shanker) beat Murad Ali (Jammu), Qasim Din (Billu) beat Lalla (Delhi), Gulshan Singh (J and K Police) beat Raju (Kapurthalla), Sonu (J and K Police) beat Situ (Ramnagar).
Bouts between Ashok Kumar (Haryana) and Sujan Ali (Jammu), Ajay Sharma (Landon Power House) and Dillar Khan (Jammu, Akram (Jammu) and Swarn Singh (Kot Bhalwal, Jammu), Dana (Ajnala) and Anil Kumar (J and K Police) and Mukha (Dina Nagar) and Yesha (Dera Baba Nanak ) ended in draw.

U.K. Fighter Alex Reid Learns Kushti

KUSHTI DANGAL at GHITORNI VILLAGE

Videos by Deepak Ansuia Prasad
Dangal at Ghitorni Village, in memory of Great Wrestler Late Sh Shyamlal.
 

Bhagani Kesari Dangal To Be Held on 6th June

State Times

JAMMU: Bhagani Dangal Committee organised the 31st Annual Bhagani Kesari Vishal Dangal in association with J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association, shall take place on 6th June at Village Bhagani in block Bhalwal district Jammu.

A decision of this regard was taken in a meet which was chaired by president J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma. The members of Bhagani Dangal Committee who attended the meeting were Mohammad. Anwar Khan, Sham Singh, Sham Lal, Hazi Mohammad. Ashraf, Bittu Raina, Master Ali Akbar, Galli Raina, Hazi Mohd. Shafi, Shiv Ram, Des Raj, Krishan Gopal, Manzoor Hussain, Ch.Mohammad Sadiq and Som Raj.

The meeting also constituted a technical committee for the competition. The committee members included Capt. Lehar Singh (Retd.), Master Ram Krishan (Retd.), Mohammad. Fareed, Mohammad Anwar Khan, Sham Singh, Sham Lal, Hazi Mohammad Ashraf, Bittu Raina, Master Ali Akwar, Galli Raina, Om Parkash Sharma, (N.I.S Wrestling Coach) and Allah Mai (Ranga).

KUSHTI EXCERCISES

Wrestler Benia Wins Trintha Kesari Title

State Times

JAMMU: Wrestler Benia of Basantgarh of J and K Police clinched the sixth Annual Trintha Kesari title defeating Sunil of Chandigarh in the main bout held at Triintha in Reasi.

Dangal was organised by Trintha Dangal Committee in association with J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association under the supervision of Shiv Kumar Sharma, president of the Association.

Benia received a cash prize of Rs 3,600, runner up, Sunil Kumar given away Rs 2,000 as cash prize money by the organisers. In all 58 bouts were played in this Dangal between local wrestlers hailing from Udhampur, Reasi Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri, J&K Police and also those from States of H.P, Punjab, Delhi, M.P, Haryana, Chandigarh and U.P.

Shiv Kumar Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion. He gave away prizes to the winners, Naib Tehsildar Shri Munshi Ram was the guest of honour. Prominent citizens, officials and large number of people witnessed the Vishal Dangal.

In the second main bout wrestler Roshan Lal of J and K Police of Muthi (Jammu) beat wrestler Lalla of Delhi. Third main bout went to wrestler Onkar Singh of BSF of Kathua, who beat wrestler Dana of Ajnala (Punjab) while the fourth bout between Fiza of Billawar and Kulbir Singh of Kot Bhawal in Jammu ended in a draw.

Members of organising committee who helped in smooth conduct of this dangal were Shabir Ahmed Magray, Gain Chand, Onkar singh, Madan Lal, Balwan Singh, Varinder Kumar, Raju, Sahil Ahmed Magray, Capt. Lehar Singh (Retd.), Mohammad Fared, Master Ram Krishan (Retd.) and Janak Singh.

Other Results : Murad Ali beat Naresh, Raju beat Nanak Singh, Prem Verma beat Karnail Singh, Kulbir Singh of Jammu beat Inderjeet of Garh Shanker, Sunit Singh of Kala Kot (Rajouri) beat Jatinder of Mathura (U.P), Bobari of Shiv Mandir Akhara Jammu beat Rakesh of U.P, Pawan Kumar of Rohtak (Haryana) beat Vijay Kumar of Jammu, Kala beat Shahia of Ramnagar, Sukha of Garh Shanker beat Surinder of (M.P), Prahald Singh of Kalakot (Rajouri) beat Bal Mukand of Mathura (U.P). Bouts between Murad Ali V/s Lalli, Mukesh of Chandigarh V/s Nasib Singh of J and K Police of Mahore (Reasi), Kalu of Jammu V/s Raju of Kapurthalla and Raja of Ajnala V/s Swarn Singh of Kot Bhawal (Jammu) ended in a draw.

Gurvinder Bags Gran Mord Dangal Title

The Northlines

JAMMU, May 20: Punjab wrestler, Gurvinder of Garh Shanker bagged the 30th Annual Gran Mord Kesari dangal title after he defeated Benia of Basantgarh in district Udhampur in the main bout that took place at Gran Mord in tehsil and district Reasi.

Winner, Gurvinder received a cash prize of Rs 6,000 while runner up, Benia given away Rs 4,000 as cash prize money by the organizers. second main bout was won by Roshan Lal of J&K Police who beat Sunil of Chandigarh to bag Rs 3,000 cash incentive. In the third main bout, Parveen of Chandigarh beat Onkar Singh of BSF.

In all, 55 bouts were played in this dangal between local wrestlers hailing from Udhampur, Reasi, Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri, J&K Police and also those from states of Himachal Pardesh, Punjab, Delhi, M.P, Harayana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh.

This mega wrestling event was organized by Gran Mord Dangal Committee in association with J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association. Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Pondurang K Pole was the chief guest on the occasion who gave away prizes to the winners. President J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association presided over the function. SSP Reasi, Anand Kumar Jain, Assistant Commissioner, Sukhdev Singh Sambyal, DySP Reasi, Abdul Rashid, Tehsildar Sher Singh, SHO Reasi Virender Gupta and Naib Tehsildar Reasi, Munshi Ram were the guests of honour.

Members of organizing Committee and those technical officials who helped in smooth conduct of this dangal were former Sarpanch Raj Kumar Sharma (Raju), Ashwani Kumar Abrol (Tony Shah), Capt Lehar Singh Retd., ex- Sarpanch, Kewal Singh, Daram Chand, Girdhari Lal, Mohd Shafi, Dharam Singh, Master Puran Chand, Tilak Raj Goswami, Mohd Mustaq, Ram Chand,. Kartar Chand, Ashok Singh, Raj Kumar, Chanda Pahalwan, Gulam Rasool, Ram Lal, Khushi Mohd, Mohd Fareed, Master Ram Krishan (Retd). Karatar Singh, Vijay Singh, Rajinder Kumar and Om Parkash Sharma NIS Wrestling Police Coach.

Other Results: Prahalad Singh bt Shahia; Sunny Sharma bt Nasib Singh; Kulbir Singh of Kot Bhalwal (Jammu) bt Sandeep of Delhi; Babbu beat Prittam Singh; Kalu of Shiv Mandir Akhara beat Inderjeet of Garh Shanker (Punjab); Sukha of Garh Shanker (Punjab) bt Sukhdev (Sonu) of J&K Police; Pritam Singh of Reasi bt Jatinder of Mathura (UP); Succha of Taran Tarn bt Anil Kumar (Mohanu) of J&K Police Jammu; Raju of Ajnala bt Mohd. Akram of Jammu; Pawan Kumar bt Billu; Surinder of Delhi bt Murad Ali of Jammu; Fiza of Billwar bt Bal Mukund of UP; Kulbir Singh bt Bir Singh. Bouts between Teg Singh and Rinki and Gulshan Singh of J&K Police and Fiza of Billawar ended in a draw.

Ravinder-Benia Share Roun-Domel Kesari Wrestling Title

State Times

JAMMU: Ravinder Ghoti of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi and Benia of Basantgarh in district Udhampur shared the 39th Annual Roun-Domel Kesari Vishal Dangal title that took place at Roun-Domel in tehsil and district Udhampur. 

This day-long Dangal was organised by Thill Roun-Domel Dangal Committee under the aegis of J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association. Both these wrestlers, who shared the main bout after fighting a marathon 41-minute long battle, were given away a cash prize of Rs 6,000 each by the chief guest, Shiv Kumar Sharma, president J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association. Commandant Border Security Force (BSF), S Salathia and former MLA, Faquir Chand and SHO Udhampur, Arvind Sambyal were guests of honour.

In all, 35 bouts were played in this Dangal between local wrestlers hailing from Udhampur, Reasi, Kathua, Jammu, Rajouri, as also those from states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

In the second main bout Gurvinder Singh of Punjab defeated Gurlad, again from Punjab and were awarded cash prize of Rs 5, 000 and Rs 3, 000 respectively. Third bout went to Anuj Kumar of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi, who beat Qasim Din (Billu) of J&K Police while the fourth bout between Roshan Lal of J&K Police and Ajmer of Punjab ended in a tame draw.

Members of the organising committee and those technical officials who helped in smooth conduct of this dangal were Dharam Singh Ranyal Lambardar (president) and Om Parkash Verma, Yog Raj Katoch, Ashok Kumar Padha, Rajinder Singh Ranyal (Sonu), Krishan Chand Gupta, ex-Sarpanch Capt. Kour Singh, Jag Dutt Padha, Vijay Singh (Biju), Om Parkash Sharma N.I.S wrestling coach, Mohammad Fareed, Dara Singh, Onkar Singh, Vinod, Raju, Romesh, Makhan, Vanty and Suram Singh,

Other Results: Raja of Ajnala bt Akram of Jammu; Harpal of Punjab Police bt Anil Kumar (Mohanu) of J and K Police; Succha of Punjab bt Gulshan Singh of J and K Police Jammu; Dana of Ajnala bt Subhash of Garhi (Udhampur), Opinder of Amritsar bt Dana of Ajnala.

Mera ek hi interest hai: KUSHTI

PIYALI DASGUPTA Times of India

Sushil Kumar

Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar is overjoyed with the gold he bagged at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship held in the capital recently.

On winning the title, Sushil says, “ I’m very happy to have won this. It was a tough game but I put in a lot of hard work and it paid off. Bahut achha laga gold medal gale mein tange hue dekh kar. Ab koshish karunga ki isi tarah main gold medal Commonwealth Games and Asian games mein bhi jeetun.”

So, the wrestler is now busy preparing for the other two sporting events - the Commonwealth Games and the Guangzhou Asian Games - later this year. He says, “Last year, I was not allowed to play at the Asian Championships in Pattaya (Thailand) by the union sports ministry because of weight issues. Bahut dukh hua ki main participate nahi kar saka. Lekin, abhi yeh medal jeet kar mujhe lag raha hai ki kuchh paane ke liye kuchh khona bhi padta hai. I have lost a lot of weight and have become much fitter. I have been practicing regularly, concentrating on my daily exercise and keeping a watch on my diet too. All this has really helped me a lot to get back to the game again.”

As our cameraman got busy clicking his pics, we asked Sushil about his other interests. “ Bas, mera koi aur interest nahi hai, main sirf kushti ladta hoon,” smiled Sushil. And when we asked him if he had a girlfriend and if there were marriage plans in the offing, Sushil suddenly became serious and looked at his coach. He then said, “Nahi nahi ... koi nahi hai, aur shaadi karne ka abhi koi plan nahi hai.”

So, then, does he watch Hindi movies, we probed. “Maine kabhi Bollywood movie nahi dekhi hai. Sach yeh hai ki main movies ke baare main kuchh nahi jaanta. Aap mujhse sports ke logon ke baare main puchhe, toh main bata sakta hoon.”

The wrestler, who is also a big fan of cricketer Virender Sehwag said, told us, “Virender Sehwag bhi Najafgarh ke hain, aur mere bahut achhe dost bhi. As a sportsman, it is only natural that I watch all kinds of sports. But, cricket and football are my favourite games. I have watched Viru playing cricket. I was also invited by him to watch his game during the Indian
Premier League series, but couldn’t make it, as I was busy with my practice for the Asian Wrestling Championship at that time.”

So, what is the real Sushil about - the one who is not in the public glare? “Main zameen se juda hua aadmi hoon. Hanumanji ka bhakt hoon, aur saaf dil ka hun,” he says, signing off.

Wrestler Benia lifts Bhamag Kesari Dangal

State Times

UDHAMPUR:Wrestler Benia of Jammu and Kashmir Police, hailing from Basantgarh area of Tehsil Ramnagar, bagged 12th Annual Bhamag Kesari Dangal 2010 title by defeating Pahalwan Kamaljot (Billa) of Khanna (Punjab) in a neck to neck wrestling contest at Sardabbar (Kalsote) in Block Panchari of District Udhampur on the concluding day of 3-day Bhagwan Shiv Parvati cave Shrine Mela. Benia was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 5,000/- with traditional Silver Gurj and Patta while as cash prize of Rs. 5,000/- was given to the runner up wrestler Kamaljot (Billa). Second wrestling contest was won by Kulbir Singh of Kot Bhalwal (Jammu) defeating wrestler Gulshan Singh of J&K Police. Kulbir was awarded cash prize of Rs. 2,500/- while as cash prize of Rs. 1, 000/- was given to runner up wrestler Gulshan Singh.

Third bout remained tied between wrestler Fiza of Billawar and Kulbir Singh of Jammu. In all, 35 bouts took place in the day long mega Dangal. It was sponsored by Amar Memorial Trust Katra, the Jammu & Kashmir Bank, District Administration and Bhamag Kesari Dangal Committee and was organised by J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association under the supervision of President J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association Shiv Kumar Sharma. Mela Officer (Tehsildar Settlement) Udhampur, Sushil Kesar was the chief guest on the occasion while President J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma President, S.P Benam Tosh, Chairman Shiv Parvati Shrine Development Board Swantantar Dev Kotwal, Manager J and K Bank Panchari, Rajinder Parsad and S.H.O Panchari Mohd. Sadiq were the guests of honour. Naib Tehsildar Romesh Singh, Sunil Badayal, District officer youth services & Sports, Dr. Hari Krishan Padha, Partap Krishan Sanmotra, Mulk Raj Bhamagi and Kuldeep Singh also witnessed the Dangal.

KUSHTI - Wrestling Bout of Jassa Patti

Indian Wrestlers Grappling for Glory

Siddhanth Aney, Hindustan Times

Greco Roman wrestling is a new sport for most Indian wrestlers. The traditional style of Kushti is extremely popular in many parts of the country, which means there is a steady stream of wrestlers feeding the freestyle pool.

Greco Roman wrestling is largely an imported style, and until recently, had been overshadowed by its traditional Indian counterpart.

If the Greco Roman team at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship that concluded in the capital on Sunday were out to prove a point, they most certainly did it with a bang. Seven Indian men competed in the seven categories, and the results were impressive. Three medals, one silver and 2 bronze; and no wrestler finishing below fifth place.

This translated into a third place finish in the team championship. Korea finished on top in the team standings with 56 points, and the hosts were tied on 49, with China, but lost out on a second-place finish because the Chinese picked up more gold. Even so, the performance is heartening, and coach Har Gobind Singh is confident of repeating the feat at the Commonwealth and the Asian Games.

Ravinder Singh’s bronze on the final day took India’s tally to seven medals in the championship, two gold, one silver and four bronze. For the coaches, it’s time to get back to the drawing board. Strength is one major concern, the other is the performance of wrestlers in the heavier weights. “The boys in the heavier weights have a problem with their lifting techniques as well as defence. We will work on these facets,” Singh said.

The competition saw a lot of glitches on the organisational front. As a test event for the Commonwealth Games, it may not have been the biggest success, particularly in terms of the behaviour of the security staff. On the wrestling front though, it has put India in a great place ahead of a busy schedule, reaffirmed its positing as an Asian power. All that remains now is to work out the chinks, and take it to the next level.

Ravinder Singh Wins Bronze on Final Day of Asian Wrestling

PTI

NEW DELHI: Ravinder Singh won a bronze medal in the 60kg category on the final day as India finished the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship with impressive tally of seven medals, including two gold on Sunday.

Ravinder, the three-time Commonwealth Championship gold medallist, beat Beishalev Azis of Kyrgyzstan 3-1, 0-1, 3-0 and helped India held its third position in the Greco Roman team championship.

Sanjay and Ashok Kumar lost out on bronze medal matches in the 74kg and 96kg categories respectively.

India were level on points with China but the hosts were pushed to third position since China had a gold medal in the 60 kilogram category. Korea topped the team championship in this category with four gold medals.

Thirty-year-old Sanjay has been a seven-time National gold medalist and won silver medal at the 2005 and 2008 Commonwealth Championships.

Ashok, on the other hand, has silver and gold medals to his name in the 2007 and 2009 Commonwealth Championships respectively and is also the current national champion.

In the overall team championship in Freestyle Wrestling, India stood fifth while Iran topped the table.

India were placed fifth in Female Wrestling as well, with China grabbing the top spot and Japan finishing second. Following are the medal winners of India:

Ravinder Kumar said the bronze medal win in a tough competition like this has done a world of good to his confidence.

"I had a tough draw to start with. I was fighting the 2006 Asian Games gold medalist Sheng Jiang (eventual champion) in the second round itself, who I lost to at the same stage in Doha. I had three tough bouts but I still gave it all in the bronze medal bout.

"Standard of Asian wrestling is of the same level as Olympics. We have the World Championship in Moscow in September, the Commonwealth Games in October and the Asian Games in November, and I am confident of winning gold in these tournaments," he said.

Sanjay was cheerful despite defeat and was hopeful of putting up a good show in the Commonwealth Games.

"I just had a bad day. I don't think Indian wrestlers are behind as compared to the Iranians or the Chinese. We are continuously trying to improve our skills to be able to do well in the Commonwealth Games," he said.

Mayor’s Wrestling Championship Held at Mulund

By B B Nayak MULUND
Times of Mulund-Powai

Photo by Sanjay Chavhan

Finally, the bald-headed grappler took home a cash prize of Rs one lakh as ‘Mahapaur Kesari’. The competition carried total prize booty of Rs five lakh. Rohit was all praise for the crowd that cheered for him all through the show. “I was lucky that I could retain my position as ‘Hind Kesari’. Hats off to Mulund crowd that gave me a rousing reception and made me feel at home away from home. It felt like my home ground,” said Rohit.

Local wrestling fanatics witnessed a high profile sporting extravaganza close to their door steps. Top grapplers like Vijay Pal, Sangram Patil, Narendra Kumar-Haryana, Rohit Patel, Narendre Kumar-Delhi from across the country were in the ring to fight it out for the big prize. Mulund suburb was chosen to host the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s Cup Wrestling Competition for first time.

With the exponents of the Indian traditional style ‘Akhada’ wrestling in the fray, the Mumbai Mayor’s Cup was conducted at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Maidan in Mulund west. The show promised to be a veritable feast for the fan following of the game hailing from rural pockets of the country which have made the metropolis their home.

“For the first time the Mayor’s Cup crossed its old bastion to reach Mulund suburb. Until recently it was been confined to Kurla and with our hard effort we got the show moved to this part of the town,” said Hanumant Mali.

It was after a prolonged gap of almost a decade that this country-game got a rousing reception with prize money totalling about Rs five lakh, the highest ever in any Mayor’s Cup wrestling competition held in the past.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Shahar-Upnagar Zilla Talim Sangh came together with a novel way of rewarding all the participants with a sum of Rs 8, 000 for the winner of the fourth round whereas a first round winner is entitled to pocket at least a consolation of Rs 1, 000 for his sweat and toil. Besides, Rs 4, 000 and Rs 2, 000 will be given to round three and round two winners as well.

Narendra Kumar of Delhi bagged the Rs 50, 000 as runners-up. Besides, Narendra Kumar of Harayana had to be content with third prize of Rs 25, 000. But the Marathi ‘Mulga’ Sangram Patil disappointed the local crowd with fourth place finish as many thronged the venue to cheer for him.

“Sorry, I could not perform,” said Sangram from Kolhapur.The show was also to provide an opportunity to local talent by holding a separate contest titled ‘Mumbai Mahapaur Kumar Kesari Championship’ for junior players. The Kumar Kesari title was won by Sanjay Patil of Kolhapur whereas Mumbai’s Rakesh Kumar pocketed the second prize. Bharat Harguli of Kolhapur and Raosaheb Ghorpade of Pune finished third and fourth.

Sons of Soil Wrestle to Glory

Times of India

MUMBAI: The nondescript cattlesheds along S V Road in Jogeshwari have reasons to cheer an old community hand. Even as an elderly cyclist passes by with milk cans, the neighbourhood buzzes with news of his son Narsing Yadav having won a gold medal at the 23rd Senior Asian Wrestling Championships underway in New Delhi.

Yadav had cut his teeth at an 'akhada' or wrestling pit near the 'tabelas' that were started nearly 100 years ago in 1913. In the age of modern gymnasia, which promise quick-fix body-shaping solutions for a king's ransom, the 'akhada' is a country cousin, where poor boys work out for a nominal fee. "Our youngest recruit is 10 years old," says 'pehelwan' Bharat Yadav, guruji to his students, who trained Narsing many years ago.

Homegrown Indian wrestling has had to fight for its place in the sun. The passing of venerated trainer Guru Hanuman left a void that many swear will never be filled. Yet, every decade has thrown up one champion who did the native sport proud. Dara Singh and his brother Randhawa became movie stars given their achievements in the sand pit. Of late, the exploits of Sushil Kumar have brought a welcome revival and wrestlers hope the coming Commonwealth Games will focus the sport in public consciousness.

Indeed, 'akhadas' in Parel, Matunga, Kandivli and Jogeshwari have spawned national champions, who have gone on to beat international wrestlers on several occasions.

At Jogeshwari, 20-odd boys wearing red or yellow loincloths and caked in mud are buffering at various stages of muscular buildup. Unlike individualistic workstations in a gym, the 'akhada' has a mud pit, which strengthens friendships in a strange way. When two 'pehelwans' are done landing audible blows, they briskly pick up fistfuls of mud and smear them over their opponent. "The soil allows better grip on a sweaty body, but apart from that, it has been treated with oil and turmeric to prevent wounds from festering," said wrestler Mahendra Yadav.

It turns out that this deceptively small pit greedily soaked up oil worth Rs 25,000. "Yes, we were surprised to see it drink up that much," laughs sponsor and Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam. For 12 years, the MP has been conducting an all-India wrestling championship.

Were it not for public sector companies like the Indian Railways, which employs wrestlers and makes them work for just three hours so that they may return to sport, most would find it difficult to sustain their passion.

Rajender Kumar Takes 55 kg Greco-Roman Wrestling Silver

The Hindu
Y.B.Sarangi
PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

India's Rajender Kumar (facing camera) on way to victory against Chinese Taipei's Shih-Shu Liu in the men's 55 kg Greeco Roman category. NEW DELHI: Rajender Kumar won the 55 kg Greco Roman silver medal on the penultimate day of the Asian wrestling championship at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex stadium here on Saturday.
Besides Rajender, Sunil Kumar Rana (66 kg) bagged a bronze medal to help India increase its overall tally to two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
On the first day of the Greco Roman event, the Indian wrestlers put up a good show.
In the last edition in Pattaya, India had bagged two silver and a bronze in this style.
Korea asserted its supremacy by capturing three of the four gold medals in contention.
Rajender, a Commonwealth championship gold medallist in Jalandhar last December, had a dream run as he steamrollered Shih-Shu Liu of Chinese Taipei (6-0, 6-0), Kritsada Kongsrichai of Thailand (6-0, 8-0) and Z. Kanybek of Kyrgyzstan (1-0, 3-0) to set up a title clash with Korean Gyu-Jin Choi.
In the keenly-contested final, Rajender went down to Choi (1-0, 0-4, 0-1).
The 24-year-old Indian took the lead after a favourable video referral. However, he was too exhausted for the following rounds and the Korean took full advantage of his rival's lack of stamina.
“The Korean had fought two bouts, while I had fought three on the way to the final. So, I lacked in stamina and found it difficult to rise up to the challenge. I have to work on my weak areas,” a disappointed Rajender said.
Three Indians were in the fray for bronze medals. In a repechage bout, Sunil toyed with his Thai opponent Sutep Oomchompoo (5-2, 3-0) to return the second Greco Roman medal for the home side.
“I had hoped for a better result. My first bout (against Kazakhstan's Aibek Yensekhanov) was a tough one. My opponent was a former junior world champion and that made the difference,” said Sunil.
Manoj Kumar (84 kg) defeated last year's bronze winner Ming-Hsuan Lin of Chinese Taipei (3-0, 3-0) to enter the semifinals.
However, he could not get past Korea's Se-Yeol Lee (5-0, 1-0).
The Commonwealth gold winner had a disheartening end to the championship as he lost to Iranian Davod Mohammad Chadorchi (0-3, 0-1) in a bout for the bronze.
A silver medallist in 2009, Dharmender Dalal (120 kg) made the repechage round after losing to Mohammad Goldasteh of Iran (0-1, 0-1).
In a clash for the third place, Dharmender was convincingly beaten by Chinese Deli Liu (0-1, 0-2).
The medal winners: Greco Roman:
55 kg: 1. Gyu-Jin Choi (Kor), 2. Rajender Kumar (Ind), 3. Marat Garipov (Kaz), Z. Kanybek (Kgz).
66 kg: 1. Hyeon-Woo Kim (Kor), 2. Aibek Yensekhanov (Kaz), 3. Sunil Kumar Rana (Ind), Pengfei Yan (Chn).
84 kg: 1. Se-Yeol Lee (Kor), 2. Norikatsu Saikawa (Jpn), 3. Davod Mohammad Chadorchi (Iri), Janarbek Kenjeev (Kgz).
120 kg: 1. Mohammad Goldasteh (Iri), 2. Hani Salah Almarafy (Jor), 3. Deli Liu (Chn), Murodjon Tuychiev (Tjk) .

Neerav Tomar: “Sushil Kumar is easily India’s best”

Neerav Tomar on SUSHIL KUMAR

Arpit Kumar: Sushil Kumar won the gold medal recently at the Asian Wrestling Championship. He too is one of your clients, what do you have to say on his performance?

Neerav Tomar: Sushil Kumar is, in my opinion, the best wrestler to have graced Indian ‘akhadas’ in the rich history of Indian wrestling. Though small in stature, he is one of the quickest, most agile and powerful wrestlers in the international circuit today and is easily India’s best. As far as the Asian Wrestling Championship is concerned, I would have been extremely surprised and a little bit disappointed if Sushil had not beaten the field that was competing against him at this championship. Big things are around the corner for Sushil if he continues training with the intensity that he has always demonstrated – god willing, the first of those should the gold medal later this year at the CWG.

Neerav Tomar is the Co-founder and CEO of Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS) Pvt. Ltd, a leading sports and entertainment company. The company takes pride in managing and supporting some of India’s biggest sporting icons including four times World Boxing Champion MC Mary Kom, Olympic Bronze Medalist Wrestler Sushil Kumar, India’s World Level Professional Boxer Pradeep Singh, India’s No. 1 and World No. 29 Squash Player Saurav Ghosal and Arjuna Awardee Boxer Akhil Kumar

Sushil Kumar Advises Athletes Against Doping

Akhara Culture in Kanpur

Times of India

KANPUR: Akhara culture, a traditional form of entertainment, is fast disappearing from the city due to the onslaught of TV, video culture and modern gymnasiums.

"Ab pehalwan kahan hain? Logoon mai pehalwani ka shauk ab kahan raha. Akharey isliye tutatey ja rahein hain. (Where are the wrestlers now? Wrestling is not people's hobby. Therefore, akharas are vanishing gradually," said Suraj Pehalwan Chaurasia who has given more than 25 years of his life to Rashtriya Akhara at Massacre Ghat.

"The new generation has no inclination towards the traditional culture of wrestling. The mushrooming of gyms has suppressed this art which is far better than modern wrestling," Chaurasia added.

There was a time when the industrial city had more than 60 akharas. About a dozen of them were like 'gharanas'. Prominent among them were Hazi Addha Pehalwan ka Akhara at Talaq Mohal, Chandu Pehalwan ka Akhara at Bhagwat Das Ghat, Bachhu Pehalwan ka Akhara at Goliyana, Gangu Baba ka Akhara at Jajmau, Shival Akhara near Kotwali and Rashtriya Akhara at Massacre Ghat. Presently, most of the wrestling arenas have lost their identity and vanished.

"There are three main akharas that are following the age old practices of wrestling. The Rashtriya Akhara at Massacre Ghat, Chandu Pehalwan ka Akhara at Bhagwat Das Ghat and the one at Golaghat," said Chaurasia. "Even spectators are not very much interested now. Earlier, around 100 people used to come and watch a wrestling competition, but now the number has decreased to around 20 spectators only," he said.

At present, there are only a dozen 'real wrestlers' but there was a time when the city had around 300 wrestlers who used to exhibit their power and art in `dangals'. Earlier, the akharas were equipped with traditional equipment like mudgar, stone gada and place for 'dand'. But the best way to warm up was to dig the arena soil in one attempt.

According to Chaurasia, preparing the arena soil is not easy. The soil is treated with mustard oil, turmeric powder and 'mattha'. "The prepared soil acts as disinfectant. Before entering the arena during a competition, the wrestlers used to smear this soil on their bodies," Chaurasia said.

Comparing the current trend with the past, Chaurasia, who has heard stories of traditional wrestling from his father, said that the best time for the wrestling in the city was from 1950 to 1960. Thereafter, the downfall began. During those years, dangals were organised at various akharas on every Sunday. A major dangal, known as 'vishal' used to be held on Nag Panchami, Janmashthami, Independence Day and various other festivals. Rich people used to give cash rewards to the winners. The best price was 'gurz'.

Recalling those days, Chaurasia said that after a dangal, the winner used to take out a procession led by a drum beater. There were four big wrestling centres - Brijendra Swaroop Park, GNK College, Kamla Club and Jajmau Akhara.

A world in which technology extends our reach.

The 'mat' wrestling has also played a major role in diluting the importance of traditional wrestling culture. Chaurasia said, "When wrestling competitions are organised in the city, young lads from different body building centres participate in them. Such competitions are different from the original 'kushti'. Also, there are societies that financially help the akharas having a 'mat'.

All these factors have isolated the traditional wrestling sport in the city. But in rural areas, it is still existing.

MUMBAI KUSHTI PHOTOS - ROHIT PATEL

Photos by Sanjay Chavhan

SUSHIL KUMAR GIVES INDIA 2nd GOLD in ASIAN WRESTLING

PTI

New Delhi: Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar lived up to his reputation as he bagged a gold in men's 66kg freestyle on the second day of the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships here on Thursday.

Sushil, also a four-time Commonwealth Championship gold medallist, produced an impressive performance to toy with Kim Dae Sung of Korea in straight periods 4-0, 2-0 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Sports Complex.

With Sushil winning the yellow gold, India's medal tally in the championships swelled to two gold. Narshing Yadav had won a gold in the 74kg freestyle on Wednesday.

"It feels good to be the Asian Champion. This win gives a boost to my confidence before important events like World Championship and the Commonwealth Games. It was a tough fight in the finals, but I was lucky to get the first grip, from where I never looked back," said Sushil after his win.

Other Indians, however, fell outside the medal bracket.

Rajiv Tomar finished fifth in the 120kg freestyle after losing to Iran's Mohd Azars in straight periods 0-1, 1-1 in quarterfinal.

Anuj Kumar was also beaten in 84kg freestyle category by Zhang Feng of China in the second round, while Rahul Aware lost to Lee Woo Ju of Korea in the second round of the 55kg freestyle.

It was a close bout in the 84 kg category for the wounded Iranian wrestler Lashgari Ehsan who defended his title outclassing Semonov S from Kazakhstan. Lashgari went down to Semenov in the first round 6-0 but came back strongly winning the next two rounds with a score of 1-0 and 2-0.

Earlier Lashgari got wounded on his head wrestling against Zang Feng of China in the semifinal. Lashgari won the bout in straight rounds with a score of 6-0 and 3-1.

Japanese Yomoto Shinichi bagged gold in the 55kg category defeating Uzbek Kurbanov Nasibullo 1-0 and 1-0. Lee Woo Ju of Korea and Yang Gyong Ji of the People's Republic of Korea were the bronze medallists in the category.

In the 120kg category, Mutalimov Marid of Kazakhstan defeated Mongolian G Chuluunbat in straight rounds to bag the gold.

Women freestyle events start tomorrow with Alka Tomar (48kg), Babita (51kg), Geetika Jakhar (51kg), Geeta (55lg) and Anmol (55kg) representing India in the test event for the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games here.

Sushil Kumar Wins Wrestling Gold

The Hindu
Y.B. Sarangi
— Photo:Sandeep Saxena

Sushil Kumar (on top) got the better of Chun-song Yang in the semifinal and then went on to win the gold. NEW DELHI: An in-form Sushil Kumar notched up his first-ever gold medal in the Asian wrestling championship as host India garnered its second yellow metal of the meet at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex wrestling stadium here on Thursday.
Sushil (66 kg freestyle) outsmarted Korean Dae Sung Kim, a bronze medallist in the championship last year, in two rounds (4-0, 2-0) to stamp his class.
The win would ease the Olympic bronze medallist, who had overweighed in the last edition in Pattaya (Thailand) and had been pulled up by the Union Sports Ministry.
Feeling good
“It feels good to win the gold. Last time, I had overweighed by just 400gm and got pulled up. However, the federation had stood by me,” a relieved Sushil said after helping India to one of its best performances in the championship.
Sushil's progress was smooth. He overpowered Adilet Ramanov of Kyrgyzstan (2-0, 6-0) and Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan (5-0, 6-0) to make the semifinals.
In the last four, Sushil tamed an attacking Chun-song Yang (2-0, 5-0) and reach the final. Yang, an Asian bronze medallist last year and a gold winner in 2008, had almost pushed Sushil out of the ring in the second round.
However, the Indian made a quick recovery to wriggle out of the North Korean's clutches and banked on his swift movement and tight grip to put Yang on the mat.
Superior
In the title clash, Sushil was clearly the superior wrestler. The soon-to-be 27 Indian was lucky to win the toss after the first round went into the tie-breaker. In the second, he earned points by attacking the Korean's legs and then counterattacking him.
“My gripping was good. I was conscious of not making any mistake in the final,” Sushil said.
Rahul Mann (55 kg FS) defeated Mongolian T. Davaahyug (0-5, 4-1, 4-0) to reach the quarterfinals, but went down to Korean Woo-Joo Lee (4-1, 2-1) to be out of the medal race.
Anuj Kumar loses
Last year's bronze medallist Anuj Kumar (84 kg FS) could not live up to the expectation. He did not have any problem in getting past Turkmenistan's Maksat Bayramov (1-0, 7-0). However, the experienced Indian lost to Chinese Feng Zhang (0-2, 0-4) in the quarterfinals.
In 120 kg FS, Rajeev Tomar, after getting a bye, withdrew midway through his bout against Marid Mutalimov due to a leg injury. Tomar was trailing 0-1 against the Beijing Olympic bronze medallist from Kazakhstan when he picked up the injury. Later, Tomar lost to S.M. Azarshakib of Iran (0-1, 1-1) in the bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, chaos continued to persist on the second day of the championship. According to a Wrestling Federation of India official, spectators could not get essential items like food and water as the caterers were not allowed to operate.
The mixed zone, the area where one can meet the wrestlers, continued to be out of bounds for the mediapersons.
Officials of the WFI and Press Operations held a meeting with some top police officials and apprised them of the needs of the scribes to smoothly carry out their work.
The medal winners: Freestyle: 55 kg: 1. Shinichi Yumoto (Jpn), 2. Nasibu Kurbanov (Uzb), 3. Woo-Joo Lee (Kor), Kyong-Il Yang (PRK).
66 kg: 1. Sushil Kumar (Ind), 2. Dae Sung Kim (Kor), 3. Ikhtiyor Navrujov (Uzb), Unurat Purebjav (Mgl); 84 kg: 1. Ehsan Lashgari (Iri), 2. Semyon Semyonov (Kaz), 3. Shinya Matsumoto (Jpn), Feng Zhang (Chn).
120 kg: 1. Marid Mutalimov (Kaz), 2. Chluunbat Jargalsaikhan (Mgl), 3. S.M.
Azarshakib (Iri), Aiaal Lazarev (Kgz).

Roun-Domel Kesari Dangal on May 17

The Northlines

JAMMU, May 11: Roun-Domel Kesari Annual Vishal Dangal, organized by Thill Roun-Domel Dangal Committee under the aegis of J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, shall take place on May 17 at Roun- Domel.

This was decided in a meeting of the organizing committee held under the chairmanship of the president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma today.

The members of Roun- Domel Dangal committee who attended the meeting included Dharam Singh Ranyal Lambardar (president), ex. Sarpanch Capt. Kour Singh (Retd.), ex. Naib Sarpanch, Om Parkash Verma, Dev Raj, Romesh Singh, Yog Raj Katoch, Ashok Kumar Padha, Rajinder Singh Ranyal (Sonu), Krishan Chand Gupta and Jag Dutt Padha.

Prominent among those wrestlers, who have confirmed their entries from J&K are Benia, Qasim Din (Billu), Roshan Lal Sharma, Jakker Hussain, Anil Kumar (Mohanu), Onkar Singh, Ali Mohd., Fiza, Swarn Singh, Kulvir Singh, Bobari, Kalu, Mukha, Vicky, Kuldeep Singh, Mohd. Akram, Murad Ali, Prahalad Singh, Tirath Ram, Kaka Ram, Prem Verma, Sunny Sharma and Jakker (Billu), informed Shiv Kumar Sharma.

The interested wrestlers of the Jammu region can still submit their entries to the organizers on Mobile No 94191 61880.

Practicing Kushti in Cochin

The Hindu

Watching grapplers wrestle at Cochin Grapplers, K. Pradeep realises that ‘gusthi’ is not his kind of sport

Photo: Vipin Chandran

Getting a hold T. J. George with grapplers during a training session at the Cochin Grapplers

There was no way that I was going to try it out. Watching the strapping young male wrestlers engaged in a training bout confirmed my decision. It was discomfortingly demanding, too physical.
Cochin Grapplers, at Pattalam, Fort Kochi, has been training aspiring wrestlers in both the Indian or Gatta style and the regular freestyle competition format since 1986. T. J. George, a professional wrestler, has been the driving force of this fitness centre that also offers the regular exercise facilities.
Though wrestling is not for everyone it certainly emphasises strength and flexibility. I soon realise that one has to be fit just to participate. There are regular young wrestlers who train for competitions and a few who do it only to ‘keep fit.’ The best part of this fitness sport is that it is fairly convenient; you need only a wrestling mat and a willing opponent. Of course, take care that the ‘opponent’ is not of the professional breed.
“It must be done regularly and continuously for benefits. Wrestling requires good strength and flexibility of the whole body. Flexibility can be achieved with a sustained programme. Strength training exercises, concentrating on the major muscle groups, will help. We also put the trainee through basic exercises like squat, bench press etc. is also used,” informs George, who is now seriously working to popularise the Gatta style ‘gusthi.’
More than the cramped space at the gymnasium, George uses the beach and the Parade Ground as his training base. “We start off training in the morning with running.
The trainees have to run around Parade Ground at least 10-15 times. Then we move to the beach nearby where we do the exercises to primarily strengthen legs, neck, and arms. After a short break we have a couple of mock bouts. We round off the morning session with a swim in the sea. The salt and brine water helps in relieving aches and pains.”
Even as George says this the two young grapplers turn a bit scrappy. He gives them a stern warning and proceeds to give them tips. “We also have training inside the gymnasium, especially when the weather is not favourable. It goes without saying that wrestling, like any fitness sport should be done only with the supervision of a qualified trainer.”
George is perhaps the last link in a long chain of ‘desi pahalwans’ who in the early 60s were quite a rage in the city and its suburbs. Gradually this pastime, this style of wrestling faded out. “We are now trying to revive interest in this form. I feel that this is best suited as a fitness sport. In fact, Gatta style ‘gusthi’ will soon be accorded the status of a traditional art form. We have already performed at two venues in the district, held training camps along with the freestyle form and I’m sure there will be a renewed interest in this very ancient style.”
Wrestling comes with risks. “It is usual for trainees to suffer from knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow or wrist sprains. But prompt medical attention and regular practice will help.
People suffering from chronic injuries must get medical clearance before getting into wrestling. I also insist that the young trainees bring their parents at the time of enrolment. We only charge a nominal admission fee, but otherwise the training is for free.”
Bottomline: Wrestling is supposed to be good for the heart and muscle building. At Cochin Grapplers you also get to work on the regular training equipment, on bodybuilding and the usual fitness exercises.
Downside: The location of the gymnasium is one huge downside. It is situated right inside the meat market and so not very visible. They certainly need a shift in base.
Contact Cochin Grapplers at 2216655 and T. J. George at 9895410266

Kushti in Kerala

Narsingh Lands Gold on Day 1 of Wrestling Championship

Express India
By Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi -- Narsingh Pancham Yadav did the unthinkable. Not only did he get India’s first gold at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship, he did so by overcoming Iran’s Saeed Nematollah Riahi in the 74kg freestyle category.

Nobody doubted his credentials before the bout, but taking on one of Iran’s best in the title clash wasn’t exactly going to be a cakewalk. Indian chief coach Jagmender Singh had predicted the fight to be one of India’s toughest in the campaign, and that’s exactly how it turned out.

The Iranian’s quick reflexes and fluid footwork had Yadav struggling to have a say in the bout as Riahi took the first point after he had the Indian youngster pinned on the mat. But the crowd favourtie hit back immediately make it all square at the end of the first period. The second peiord got off to a similar start, with both wrestlers earning a point each, but Yadav clinched another in the winning moments to lead India to its first gold medal in the tournament.

The wrestler from Mumbai, who trained at a suburban SAI Centre in the city, later dedicated this victory to the country. “Yeh desh ke liye (this win is for our nation),” Yadav said. The 21-year-old added the final bout was the toughest of his short career.

“The Iranians are the best in the business so the bout was easily the toughest I’ve had. But I am really happy after this win. Winning a gold medal at an Asian meet is huge and it was very important for me and the team,” he said.

The chief coach praised his ward for his ability to withstand the challenge. “He fought very well. His timing on the mat got us the medal today,” Singh said.

Kushti Training

SHORT WRESTLING MATCH FROM HARYANA DANGAL

Wrestler Sanjit Kumar: I Like Risks

Times of India

Sanjit Kumar

He weighs 96 kgs, is a pure vegetarian and rarely eats out. And this is not the only thing that differentiates this 26-year-old wrestler from other fighters, the six feet tall hunk doesn’t smoke or drink either. A history graduate hailing from Madina village in Rohtak district, he also has a regular job with the Delhi Police. And it’s not just professional wrestling that excites him, he excels in volleyball, basketball and football too.

DT caught up with Sanjit Kumar aka Sangram Singh before the event Yodhao Ka Maha Sangram, where he will be pitted against popular international WWE icons.

How do you start your day?
My day starts early, kal thoda late ho gaya tha . Vaise, it’s 5 - 5.30 am for me.
Do you follow the same routine in winters too?
Thand me to main jaldi hi uthta hoon, 4.30 baje . I pray and hope for a good start to the day. I feed ants, fish and the birds. Then I jog, sprint and exercise. After that I have aloe vera and aamla juice, followed by an almond shake and daliya. After resting for an hour, I go for weight training.

How did wrestling happen?
My brother used to do pehlwani, but after he suffered a slip disc, my parents started hating the very idea of it. So I used to hide and practice. I was a frail kid, and wanted to become fit and so used to exercise even then. One thing led to another and that’s how I started wrestling. And then I was lucky enough to get a few odd medals at international events and a few competitions in India.

Do your parents still disapprove?
There were a lot of problems in the beginning. When I started getting coaching, I was very thin, and the others used to make fun of my body. They doubted if I would ever be able to take this profession up. But I coped somehow.
Who trained you?
My practice started from my village. Then I started training under Satpal pehlwan from Delhi, I have fought in his akhara for many years now, unhone mujhe bahut kuch bataya. I have just begun, I have to do a lot more.
You have dabbled in both professional wrestling and amateur pehlwani, which one do you find better? What excites you more?
Amateur wrestling is done in an akhara, the mat is different there, which has its own benefits. The mat used in professional wrestling is different. I like both, but since professional wrestling is more risky, I like it even more.
What kind of risks are involved in professional wrestling?
There are many risks. One can get a lot of injuries. If you look at my back you will find a lot of marks and abrasions because of the fights I have been involved in. In amateur wrestling, there are a lot of rules and regulations like if you get injured or hurt or if blood starts oozing, the fight is stopped but in the professional sphere, the fight goes on, irrespective of what happens to you.

And how did you land up in the reality show?
At first when I got to know that a show on wrestling is being made, I though it to be all fake, I thought sab kuch staged hoga, koi wrestling nahi hogi. But at the auditions, there were close to 30,000 athletes including judo players, wrestlers, bodybuilders and kick boxers, flexing their muscles. I found that their coaches were from South Africa and Canada. The selection was very tough and I was injured but yet I made to the top 20 and finally I was selected in the lead role.

READ MORE HERE

Bamhag Kesari Dangal on 16th May

State Times

JAMMU: The Annual Bamhag Kesari Vishal Dangal shall take place at Sardabbar, Kalsote in district Udhampur on 16th May. It is being organised by the J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association in collaboration with Amar Memorial Trust and Bamhag Kesari Dangal Committee.

It shall be a part of three-day Moungri Mela, and held from 2 PM to 6 PM at Sardabbar. The decision was taken in a meeting at Katra under president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association Shiv Kumar Sharma.

Others in the meeting were Advocate Swantanter Dev Kotwal, chairman Bhagwan Shiv- Parvati Caves (Moungri) Development Board, R S Manhas NCC officer Katra, Sham Saroop Kalsotra, president Chamber of Commerce Udhampur, Vikram Gulati, Miru, Madan lal, Kartar Singh, Naresh Kesar, Rajinder Kumar, Sunil Badiyal, Jarnail Singh, Hans Raj Thakur, Mohan Lal and Sunak Singh.

About 40- 45 wrestlers from different states have confirmed their participation. Number of prominent wrestlers from Pathankote, Jammu, Udhampur, Moungri, Roun- Domail, Panjar, Kalsote, Panchari, Ladda, Badota, Lander, Ramnagar, Lalli Danmote, Meer, Guglwan, Kainthgali, Sadi, Bansote, J&K Police, BSF, Army, Devigarh Jasserkote, Galiote, Sadal, Dhobakbag, Nalli Nikka, Ramban and Sanasar are expected to compete.

All the interested wrestlers of the Jammu region can still confirm their participation by contacting Shiv Kumar Sharma (9419161880).