From under the shadows of arguably India’s best wrestler Sushil Kumar came another Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt. He has been around the wrestling circuit for well over a decade making his name in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Dutt had already announced that Rio 2016 will be his last appearance at the Olympic Games and having already achieved the bronze in London 2012, he is gunning for gold this time around.

At 33, his body is no more as strong as it used to be, injuries have increased but he has been lucky that the time for recovery has not. Now, it is all about enduring the pain and fighting for the country.

Qualification

Yogeshwar Dutt earned his qualification at the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament earlier in March by winning the gold medal. He will represent the country in the 65 Kg weight category. He has been successful in winning the gold in both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in the weight category.

Earning the spotlight

Yogeshwar Dutt’s medal cabinet is a vastly impressive one with medals ranging from the Asian Wrestling Championships, to Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Olympics. He is on a streak and may win a hat-trick of gold medals if he goes on to play two more years at the Commonwealth Games.

He came out in the spotlight as early as 2003 but it is only since the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi that he found a proper footing on the mat with consistent impressive displays.  

Route to Rio

Dutt spent a lot of time in rehab against his routine training in 2015 due to three major surgeries that he went through. But when he got back on the mat, nothing else mattered. He has not been in the best physical shape of late, but his determination is as strong as ever.

He shifted his weight category from 60 Kg to 65 Kg, managing to compete in strength but fell a little short in stamina. Post-2014, Dutt moved to high altitude training facility to gain stamina, as he failed to be consistent throughout the tournament.

In the Asian Qualifiers earlier this year, Dutt was confident and had a rather comfortable path in the qualification process. He won all three of his bouts overwhelmingly en-route to the final, having already secured a place in the Olympics.

Medal Quest

This makes him one of the most successful Indian grapplers. He has won a gold medal at every major International Competition he has participated in barring the Olympics. Dutt already made clear that Rio Olympics is his last, it will also his only chance at maintaining his record.

His recent form in spite of injuries and long lay-offs from the sport has been phenomenal on the mat. He goes into the Olympics as the reigning Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games gold medallist. That may be a lot of pressure but he already has his sight clear for the gold in Rio.