In a Sportskeeda Exclusive, we talk to Olympian Bronze Medalist and now the Gold medalist at Asian Wrestling Championship – Sushil Kumar.
Arpit: After making India proud at the Beijing Olympics, you have continued your great form to bag the gold medal at the Asian Championship recently. What makes you so consistent?
Sushil: Like all professional athletes, my consistency stems from an extremely rigid schedule. My diet, sleep, strength building, speed and agility enhancement and practice hours are all regulated and all of these together add up to produce consistent results. My practice is also tied in with a firm vision that sees me winning the CWG gold and also gold at the London Olympics, and having fixed goals and identified milestones ensures consistent development and therefore consistent performances.
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Arpit: What are the upcoming events that you will participate in and what routine of preparation will you go through for it?
Sushil: My upcoming events include training Camps in Georgia and Vela rouse in July & August ; the World Wrestling Championship in September; the Commonwealth Games in October; and the Asian Games in December. Given the success that has come my way through my current regimen, I do not intend to alter my daily regimen in any way. On a daily basis, my regiment is as follows:
6:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M. – Physical training, including jogging, running, squats, and other strength building exercises;
10:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. – Lunch and rest
1:00 P.M. – 3:15 P.M. – Mat training, including practice of wrestling techniques, development of new patter skills and practice matches;
4:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. – Rest
6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. – physical training (including running, sprints, squats etc.) and mental conditioning
Arpit: The Commonwealth games are in India at Delhi this year. How special would it be to win in front of the home crowd?
Sushil: It would be the most incredible feeling to win gold in Delhi. I have always been surprised by the passionate support I receive when I participate in India and I look forward to that support in Delhi as well. It is not possible to describe the feeling of receiving support from thousands of people, who are yelling out your name – it is only something that can be experienced.
Arpit: The crowd kept cheering you all along at the final of the recently concluded Asian Championship, did that help?
Sushil: Yes, it helped immensely. While I know it is not scientifically possible, the more the people supporting me, the stronger and faster I feel I am. Whether or not that is factually true, I derive tremendous confidence from that feeling, and have no doubt that this confidence is an important reason for the gold at the Asian Wrestling Championship.
The bronze boy!
Arpit: How has life changed for you after the bronze medal at Olympics?
Sushil: Life has changed in many ways. There is obviously a financial benefit, with sponsors finally willing to invest some money in me. More importantly, it is a question of respect, where when I walk the streets, people know who I am and what I do. People, who didn’t care whether I existed or not, treat me differently now that I am a medalist at the Olympics – they are more caring, more patient with my shortcomings and in some ways have many more expectations of me.
Arpit : Vijender Singh and you both won the Bronze medal at the Olympics however he seems to have gained more limelight than you, is that because boxing is a more popular sport?
Sushil: On the contrary, I think wrestling is probably a more popular sport, given its rich history and tradition and the mass support that it finds in rural areas. Vijender deserves all the success that has come his way because he has worked hard for it, but his popularity has more to do with his personality. He is more outgoing and open and is able to interact easily in social settings, which makes him a more wanted public figure than me, because I am more shy and reclusive. He is also a very good looking man with a great physique, because of which he is able to obtain brand endorsements with ease and is also easily portrayed in the media.
Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh
Arpit: Do you think your success will motivate the younger generation to pick up wrestling as a sport considering it is not a very accessible sport to the masses?
Sushil: While it may not be an accessible sport to the elite, it is the most easily available sport to the rural masses. It requires very little infrastructure and can be played by anybody anywhere and I therefore expect that it will continue to retain its popularity in the rural areas. I think whatever little I have achieved has already inspired a few youngsters to take up the sport, since it now appears to be a viable career choice. Hopefully, I can achieve enough to inspire the urban youth to take up the sport as well – recreationally if not professionally.
Arpit: On a more personal note, what else other than wrestling interests you? Do you follow any other sport?
Sushil: I used to love a lot of sports when I was younger, but unfortunately my schedule leaves very little time to follow other sports or hobbies. Like the entire country, there was a time when I was a huge fan of cricket (particularly Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag), but that passion has gone with time. I am also a big fan of hockey and was recently afforded the opportunity to watch the India-Pakistan match in the World Cup – the experience of sitting with thousands of home supporters all yelling for India is an experience I will cherish forever. My other interest right now is the degree in sports management that I am pursuing from the Noida college of physical education.
India proud!
Arpit: What is your favorite past-time when you are not training or competing?
Sushil: My favourite past time is to spend time with my family and to get some sleep! Unfortunately, my daily schedule leaves very little time for either.
Arpit: Are you confident of extending your success to the next edition of Olympics at London?
I am very confident of winning a medal at London and god willing, this time it will be the gold. It is the vision that my training team and I have been working towards and hopefully all the effort and hard work will soon bear fruit!
