In final,Amit Kumar8217;s opponent put worst foot forward

Up against Iran8217;s Hassan Farman Rahimi in the World Championships 55kg final,Amit Kumar was a pale shadow of the grappler who had taken no time to earn points through take-downs and push-outs in his previous bouts. While the superior tactical ability of the Iranian was a major reason for the defeat 8211; the Indian team management and even Amit are blaming the referee for a debatable decision that they say decided the gold in Rahimi8217;s favour 8211; it might have had more to do with Amit8217;s lack of adaptability while facing a new set of challenges. Also Read: Amit Kumar 8211; World champ,almost

According to Yashvir Singh,India8217;s only coach to have been honoured by FILA ,Amit8217;s loss may well be summed up by the fact that Rahimi8217;s stance made a big dent in his comfort factor on the mat. As a natural right-hander,Amit is very comfortable against wrestlers who lead with their left leg in the clinch. This scenario brings the target area for his attacks closer to his stronger hand. All his previous opponents led with their left legs,and Amit scored freely. Scores of of 8-0 against Turkish semifinalist Sezar Akgul,8-0 against France8217;s Zoheir El Ouarraqe,a resounding 10-2 verdict against Japan8217;s Yasuhiro Inaba and 6-0 against Escobedo support this theory. Also Read: After silver,bronze lining

But against Rahimi,all that flair suddenly went missing with the Iranian leading with his right leg throughout the bout. Two things happened yesterday in the final that changed things for Amit. One,he couldn8217;t start with in the same tempo as his previous bouts. Two,The Iranian was leaning in with his right foot. It is a major problem with Amit,8221; Yashvir told The Indian Express while summing up the loss.

We all know that he prefers to fight wrestlers who lean in with their left foot. He is very comfortable while attacking or in defence while facing them,but against right-leaning guys he struggles and all his attacking play suffers.8221; Also Read: Wrestling wins back 2020 Games spot/b>

In the final match,Amit didn8217;t come anywhere near getting a point through attacking play. All said,even Sushil hadn8217;t won a World Championship medal at 20. So not all is lost here,Yashvir said.