Ravi Dahiya: Saw Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt winning Olympic medals, wanted the same

Ravi Kumar Dahiya said the exploits of Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt in different editions of the Olympics, resulted in a desire to emulate the same heroics.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya in a file photo. (Credits: PTI)
By Aaryanshi Mohan | Aug 10, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Tokyo Olympics silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya said he saw Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt when he was a young wrestler at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. He got a lot of inspiration from the. Sushil Kumar won India’s first medal in wrestling in over five decades at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went on to win silver in London in 2012. On the other hand, Yogeshwar won a bronze in London. The exploits of the duo resulted in a desire to emulate the same in the wrestler who made the nation proud in Tokyo.

Ravi was among the Indian athletes who won medals at the Tokyo Olympics and were felicitated by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur upon return to New Delhi. He was carried on people’s shoulders when he arrived at the New Delhi airport.

“I started from mud wrestling and from there I came to Delhi, to the (Chhatrasal) stadium,” said Ravi at the felicitation ceremony.

“I saw so many great champions right in front of me. In 2008 when I arrived at the stadium, Sushil Kumar won the medal. In 2012, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil both won. I saw that they were getting so much respect and I felt so happy seeing that. Felt I also want to do something like that. I saw them and move forward and today I am standing here and I would like to thank all of you for that,” said Ravi.

Fine performance by Indian wrestlers in Olympics

Notably, Ravi Kumar is only the fifth Indian wrestler after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, and Sakshi Malik to finish on the Olympic podium. Sushil and Ravi are the only two to win silver medals, while the rest managed bronze. It is also the fourth Olympics in a row in which Indian wrestlers have won at least one medal. From 2008 to 2020 Tokyo Games, no other sport from the country has contributed to India’s Olympic medal haul more than wrestling.

Indian wrestlers have won five Olympic medals starting from Beijing. Sushil started it with a bronze in the 2008 Games and upgraded it to silver in 2012 London. Yogeshwar Dutt clinched a bronze in 2012 and Sakshi Malik bagged the same medal in Rio 2016. Now, Ravi Kumar Dahiya has joined that illustrious club, winning a silver in Tokyo. Earlier in 1952, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav had won a bronze, which was India’s first wrestling medal. Since the beginning of the Summer Games, Indian wrestlers have won a total of six Olympic medals.