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Yogeshwar, sushil to skip Asian Championships
London Olympic Games medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt will skip the Asian Championships, to be held in the national capital from April 18- 24, Saurabh Duggal reports.
London Olympic Games medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt will skip the Asian Championships, to be held in the national capital from April 18- 24.
Sushil (66kg), who won silver in London, and Yogeshwar (60kg), who bagged a bronze, will be replaced by reserve players.
On the basis of the trials held last month, the Wrestling Federation of India had named the Olympic medallists in the seven-member freestyle squad for the Asian meet, but Yogeshwar, who is undergoing rehab after he tore a ligament in January, isn't fit to compete. Instead, he will focus on the Commonwealth and World Championships later this year.
Similarly, Sushil, not in top form, has opted out.
"After the London triumph, the knee injury forced Yogeshwar to stay out of action for a couple of months and Sushil too started full training recently. As competition is tough in Asia, it would not be fair to compete without proper preparation. Moreover, defeat will demoralise the players. So, keeping all aspects and the World Championships in mind, we have decided to drop both the wrestlers," said a coach attached with the team.
Though, chief national coach, Vinod Kumar, didn't clarify on their participation in the Asian Championships, he made it clear that the World Championships was more important for the two. "We are training keeping the Worlds in mind," he said.
