In a rare positive ahead of his Rio 2016 campaign, wrestler Narsingh Yadav has been equipped with the services of French coach Damien Jacomelli in an effort to enhance his podium chances at the ongoing gala event in Brazil.
This change in personnel has been brought about just a day before the former Commonwealth Bronze medallist departs for the Olympic venue on Tuesday. As confirmed by the representatives of JSW Group whose flagship Sports Excellence Program (SEP) supports the promising wrestler, the Frenchman has been signed up to provide Narsingh with some valuable input from a multifarious approach, so as to improve his Olympic readiness with exactly 10 days remaining before his first bout in Rio.
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In September 2015, when Narsingh Yadav won India’s only medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, USA, little would he have imagined the struggles that were about to ensue before he could stake his claim at the Olympic quota he had just earned for the nation. In the bronze medal clash of the 74 kg category in Vegas, Narsingh ousted Zelimkhan Khadjiev of France with a comfortable 5-0 scoreline by virtue of which he looked set to compete in this year’s Olympic wrestling event.
Incidentally, the Lyon-based Jacomelli was Khadjiev’s personal coach during the championships. He has been in India for a while now, to work with JSW Sports, prior to being named as Narsingh’s new mentor for his return to the Olympic stage. In London 2012, the Uttar Pradesh-born wrestler had had a fairly forgettable outing where he ended up getting knocked out in the first round whereas his present-day bitter rival and senior Sushil Kumar had gone on to win his 2nd Olympic medal – a silver in the 66 kg weight division.
In Rio, however, Narsingh is a big medal prospect for India and has a billion hopes riding on his shoulders. With Damien Jacomelli training him for this competition, how he performs is a question that will finally be answered when he steps inside the wrestling circle on August the 19th.
