World Championship gold bigger than Olympics bronze: Sushil

world wrestling championship

Things are getting bigger and better for Sushil Kumar. His World Championship gold in Moscow on Sunday triggered massive celebrations on the mat with his teammates and team officials where he was wrapped in the tri-colour. Then came the customary flow of congratulatory messages, starting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sports minister MS Gill. Of course, the rewards were express fast too with railway minister Mamata Banerjee arriving first with a cash award of Rs 10 lakh and a promotion for the Indian Railways employee. Bigger awards will come in the way of this soft-spoken champion, who understands clearly the enormity of his achievement but still puts it in simple words. "I am very happy with this win. It is a bigger achievement than the bronze medal (at the Olympics) in Beijing," said the champ about his historic victory at the Olympiskiy Sports Centre in Moscow.

Sushil outclassed Alan Gogaev of Russia 3-1 in straight rounds in the final of the 66kg freestyle category to become the first Indian wrestler to win a world title at the senior level. The reigning Commonwealth and Asian champion is in sublime form this year and by beating a wrestler from Russia, powerhouse of the sport, in his own backyard to lift the title shows he has finally fulfilled the prophecies of his coaches. Sushil dedicated the victory to his fellow countrymen. "I could do it only because I have the entire country's support and blessings with me," added the 27-year-old, rating his semifinal bout against Hasanov Jabrayil of Azerbaijan as his toughest test in Moscow. Now the entire Indian wrestling fraternity is looking at it as a good omen, especially after the recent doping controversy when four wrestlers from the Commonwealth Games (CWG) camp tested positive for a banned substance. "Sushil is our champion. And this victory will now be a boost for all our wrestlers," said GS Mander, president of WFI. "We can expect medals in all the 21 categories (men's freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's freestyle) at the CWG and 50 percent of it will be gold." Mander believes the doping episode was unfortunate and was due to the fact that the athletes were misinformed and not educated properly about the doping rules.