“I am my favorite. I am,” Ravi Dahiya would say in an Insta video recorded by United World Wrestling, on the morning of his Commonwealth Games remaining the place he introduced India’s 4th of 6 wrestling gold at Coventry.
It was unintentional swag, it was genuine although. “Arre, I couldn’t think of anyone. They asked, so I answered,” he would say later, whilst American Jordan Burroughs topped the tally. Not for India’s silver medallist from Tokyo, and essentially the most watchable grappler since Sushil Kumar.
On the mat, he picked up eight factors from the snaking phitle, after which completed a technical superiority reaching 10 factors just a few seconds later, all achieved with out a lot fuss.
It was within the morning although – when not beneath the highlight, the place he sauntred in and swagged out, and stood together with his hand on hips, ready for the world to settle into an applauding refrain – that Ravi had confronted his hardest take a look at: making weight .
Indian National anthem quantity 10 in CWG 2022 ..
Keep it coming guys…
Thank you Ravi Kumar Dahiya I’m positive you’ll change the colour of your Olympic medal in Paris 2024 to yellow..
Goosebumps at all times#wrestling #RaviDahiya pic.twitter.com/5F2xAnbZgk
— Soug (@sbg1936) August 6, 2022
He had clearly not been consuming a lot the previous few days. To prime that, he spent three hours within the morning spilling sweat and getting cranky to return inside 100 gm of his required weight. “That is the worst a part of these smaller classes. But you must do it for the nation. What to do?” he would say.
Ravi is thought to spend three hours at Chhatrasal, prepping for every six-minute battle, the place sparring opponents who do not accord him undue respect, are let free on him one after the opposite, as a progressively tiring fighter takes on the recent challengers . He runs at 4 am, and permits Holi, Diwali and different festivals to float previous 12 months after 12 months. “I’m still in wrestling. I don’t like thinking of anything else,” he says, seeing no have to unwind.
The cardio energy and stamina he is identified for are fully constructed on the mat. “No health club. If I’ve to battle on the mat, I ought to construct energy on the mat,” he says.
His comparatively tall stature at 57 kg – teeming with smaller wrestlers – means his hand attain when he swoops them for leg holds is an incredible sight to observe. When Ravi’s fingers flap out, the opponent is about to be baited and switch to a kill. It opens him up for the hulking, bending the opponent going for his leg although. “Yes, I’m not known for my defense, really. I’m an attacking wrestler, I don’t believe in defense much.”
He’s grateful for the love and blessings of individuals. But such is the self-assurance of this man, he’ll win even in any other case.
,
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
