Wrestlers now get the respect they deserve: Yogeshwar

The burly wrestler said winning the bronze was one of the best moments in his life. “It was a childhood dream to win an Olympic medal. Ever since I started training at Chattrasal stadium (in Delhi) this was one prize I always coveted,” he said.

Dutt said after his good friend Sushil Kumar’s bronze medal win at the Beijing Olympics,wrestlers are getting the respect and the support they deserve. “It feels good to be a wrestler. People give us respect and are proud of our achievements. I don’t think I can ask for more.” said Dutt.

The wrestler was bullish about his Olympic medal effort maintaining the luck he had with two successive coin tosses going his way was something he deserved. “I have worked hard since the day I first stepped on to a wrestling mat. Those two clinch positions that I won courtesy toss were something I deserved. Though,I feel a bit of luck in the quarterfinal (which he lost) would have been better,” he said.

Dutt said it was important for wrestlers in the country to move out of mud arenas and start mat wrestling. “All the international competitions are conducted on a wrestling mat. Indian wrestlers who wrestle in mud arenas face a bit of difficulty in adjusting to the mats. If they have to make a real mark in the wrestling world,it is important to popularise mat wrestling,” said Dutt.