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India win best team award C’wealth wrestling
India’s campaign ended on a high when the freestyle team swept the seven golds on offer at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Jalandhar on the last day on Sunday.
India’s campaign ended on a high when the freestyle team swept the seven golds on offer at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Jalandhar on the last day on Sunday.
Vinod (55kg), Rahul Mann (60kg), Sushil Kumar (66kg), Narsingh (74kg), Rambir (84kg), Mosam (96kg) all bagged the gold in men’s free style.
With Sunday’s haul, India grabbed 16 out of the 21 gold. They also won the overall championship trophy. Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar, the main attraction of the championship, drew the loudest applause. He outclassed South Africa’s Heinrich Barnes for his third successive Commonwealth Championship gold. “Happy to have ended the year with a gold,” he said. “The results were as per our expectations,” said National coach Jagminder Singh. “We were aiming for seven gold and none of my wrestlers disappointed me.”
No dope testing
The Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in Jalandhar was also a rehearsal for next year’s 2010 Games. Surprisingly, the three-day meet that attracted 140 wrestlers from 12 countries had no provision to collect samples for dope test. “We had informed the Sports Ministry a year ago but they didn’t send any anti-doping officials,” said Kartar Singh, general secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India.”
Three medals for PIOs
Three Persons of Indian Origin managed to step on to the podium as well. Manjot Sandhu, Balraj Virdi and Arjan Bhullar who were part of the Canada’s freestyle team and managed to win medals.
