NEW DELHI: India wrestler Ravi Dahiya didn’t look satisfied after winning the silver medal. The dejection of losing the final bout and missing out on a gold medal, in his maiden Olympics, was clearly visible on his face. And the 23-year-old wrestler is adamant now about giving it his all to change the colour of his medal at the next Olympics in Paris in 2024.
“I am happy with the silver medal, but I wanted to win the gold. Our wrestlers have won silver and bronze medals in the past and the only medal left to win was a gold. I wanted to win that. For some time I was sad, but then I told myself that there will be a next time again for me,” Ravi told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“I am promising this – I will win a gold medal in Paris. I am just 23 and have a lot left in me. After going home, I will spend some time with my family and then will start practising and get back to my daily wrestling routine. Paris is my next target,” he further said.
Ravi cruised into the 57kg final with a series of magnificent wins, but lost 4-7 to Russian Olylmpic Committee’s Zavur Uguev in the summit clash.
Ravi, who had lost to Uguev in the 2019 World Championships in Nur Sultan, where he won a bronze medal and booked a ticket to Tokyo, tried to put up a solid fight against Uguev but the 2019 World Championship gold medallist emerged victorious in the end.
“He was better than me. I accepted that. It is very good to accept defeat and I did that. He is an experienced wrestler and has won World Championship titles twice. So he was much better than me on the mat,” Ravi further told TimesofIndia.com.
TALKING TO FAMILY AFTER TWO MONTHS
Ravi didn’t want any distractions ahead of the Olympics, so he decided not to contact his family members, friends, or relatives. All he did was focus on his training and regular practice. He was working on his leg defense, stuck to a strict diet and kept himself motivated for the big event.
After his silver medal finish, the Haryana government has announced a Rs 4 crore cash award for him and a number of other rewards are surely still in the works for the Olympic silver medallist.
It had been two months since I last spoke to my mother and father. I called them after winning the silver. They were all emotional as well as happy. They are eagerly waiting for me to return. They are ready with a lot of surprises for me,” he said.
“To achieve something, focus and sacrifice are very important. For me, staying away from people helped me a lot. It helped me to focus on every daav (move), all the practice routines, studying wrestling videos, focusing on my diet, etc.,” the 23-year-old told TimesofIndia.com.
“Whatever I am today, it is because of my parents. My father is a farmer and he did everything possible to help me reach this level. I would want him to rest now and enjoy his life, the rest is his decision (laughs),” Ravi further said.
THE ‘BITE’
The bite mark is still visible on Ravi Dahiya’s right arm. He was bitten by Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan during the semi-final bout . Ravi was in a shock after the Kazakh wrestler bit him, but he managed to put the pain aside and defeated Sanayev by fall to enter the final.
Interestingly, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was accused of biting the ear of Kazakhstan’s Akhzurek Tanatrov during his semifinal bout at the 2012 London Olympics.
The next day when Ravi came in for his weigh-in, the Kazakh wrestler approached Ravi and apologised.
‘Wrestling mein to log jhagde aur maar pitai pe aa jaate hain bhaisaab, ye to choti baat hai’ (people get involved in fights, altercations and even physical confrontations in wrestling; this is a very small thing). I left memories of that (bite) on the mat. I continued to feel the pain, of course (laughs), but didn’t have any hard feelings for him (Kazakh wrestler who bit Ravi),” said Ravi.
“When I came for the weigh-in the next day, Sanayev was already there. He came and shook hands with me. I greeted him too, because I had already forgotten everything. He hugged me and said – ‘sorry brother’. I smiled and hugged him back. We are friends. We also shared a few laughs on other topics,” the Olympic medallist said.
IN AUGUST WRESTLING COMPANY
Indian wrestlers have won a total of 7 medals in Olympic history so far (including Ravi’s silver and Bajrang’s bronze in Tokyo).
KD Jadhav (bronze in 1952 Helsinki Games), Sushil (bronze in 2008 Beijing Games and silver in 2012 London Games), Yogeshwar Dutt (bronze in 2012 London Games), Sakshi Malik (bronze in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games) and now Ravi and Bajrang (silver and bronze, respectively, in 2020 Tokyo Games) are the wrestlers who have brought home the big prize – an Olympic medal in wrestling for the country.
“Sharing the same space as these legends like Sushil, Yogeshwar is a big thing for me. They are our inspirations. We have learned a lot from them. I will continue to learn from them,” Ravi signed off.
News Source: Times Of India
