India hopes to win wrestling medals in Commonwealth Games
New Delhi:Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr MS Gill has said that Indian wrestlers are set to deliver well at
the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 London Olympics. Gill said after he met Ramesh Kumar, who won India's first world championship men's wrestling medal in
32 years, on Saturday, and his coach at his residence here. He said that the government is
paying a lot of attention towards wrestling. An academy has also been established
at Sonepat in Haryana, where wrestlers are undergoing rigorous training for the
upcoming games. "I am very happy to meet this young man, and he has done very
well in this world championship in Denmark. India has a great ancient tradition
of wrestling in all parts of the country. Maharashtra has it, Punjab very much
has it, Haryana and around Delhi, we have it. I expect that they will do better
and better," he said. "We have set up a big centre in Sonepat. We are giving every
facility and we are building them. We want to make it India's national wrestling
centre. I am very confident that these boys will do very well in the Commonwealth
Games and in London," he added. Kumar bagged a bronze in the 74kg freestyle category
in Denmark to become the first Indian male world medallist since Vishambhar Singh's
silver in 1967, the Wrestling Federation of India said in a statement on Thursday.
"I am very happy that I have won the medal for my country. For 2010, the preparations
are good. This time, it was bronze. The next time, it will be gold," said Kumar.
Meanwhile, his coach too has lot of expectations from all the wrestling teams
that are being trained at Sonepat. "Our camp at Sonepat is on. It will go on for
a year. We hope to win medals at the Commonwealth,' said Jagvinder Singh, a wrestling
coach.
