Naveen Malik was not exactly expected to set the stage on fire at the Commonwealth Games. The 20-year-old wrestler is still a work in progress. Fighting in the 74kg weight category also comes with the additional burden of living up to the legacy of a certain Sushil Kumar. The double Olympic medallist held the title in the weight in the previous two CWG editions. Naveen kept India's domination intact with a gold medal in Birmingham.
Naveen Malik (Twitter)
On Tuesday, he came through the national selection trials to make the cut for his maiden World Championships scheduled in Belgrade from September 10. Naveen, though, dropped down to 70kg non-Olympic weight where he feels he can gain experience and can even pull off a surprise medal. Next year, he would switch back to 74kg for Paris Olympic qualifiers.
“The reason I picked 70kg is because I think I can win a medal in a non-Olympic weight and that will give me a lot of confidence. I will change my weight after the Worlds and will look to qualify for Paris Olympics in 74kg,” says Naveen.
The road will not be easy for Naveen, given the sudden surge of young talents in a weight class where no Indian could qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. A bunch of youngsters are now jostling for that spot. There is Sagar Jaglan (2021 Cadet World Champion), Yash Tushir (2021 Junior world medallist), Jaideep (U20 Asian silver medallist) among others. At the CWG trials, Naveen defeated the likes of seasoned Jitender Kumar, Gourav Baliyan and Jaglan.
At the world level, these are still early days for Naveen but he has shown quick improvement since breaking into the national scene last year. The U-23 Asian title and bronze at the Senior Asian meet attest to his talent.
His coach Kuldeep Singh believes his ward has shown potential early in his international career. “He will only grow from here with experience. He has given good performances in international tournaments in a short time. I wanted him to fight in 74kg in the trials but he convinced me that 70 kg would be ideal for him this year because he feels he can win a medal,” said the Navy coach who trains him in Sonipat.
At the Asian Championships, Naveen gave a tough fight to reigning world silver medallist Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan in 70kg, losing 6-3. “He started slow but he did very well. He thought he just missed out on a win and it has given him the confidence that he can beat world-class wrestlers. With every bout, he is learning. He has a good attack and mat intelligence and he is tightening his defence,” said Singh, the former national coach.
Naveen followed his elder brother Parveen into the sport. Parveen is a senior national medallist in 67kg Greco Roman, and on Tuesday both brothers were appearing for the trials. Parveen lost in the semi-finals, while Naveen defeated Vishal Kaliraman in the final. They hail from village Pugthala in Sonipat. Both brothers are now in the Indian Navy.
“My father is a farmer and he has sacrificed a lot. Despite financial constraints, he backed us to follow the sport.”
Naveen was also inspired by Sushil Kumar’s Olympic silver in 2012. “That was one of the main reasons I started wrestling. When I watched him in 2012, I wanted to be like Sushil and winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the same category was a dream come true,” says Naveen.
“It is exciting to watch these youngsters in 18-20 age group showing promise in 74kg,” says men’s team coach Vinod Kumar, who was also Sushil's coach for a long time. “The CWG gold medal was big for Naveen. He is making every opportunity count and may be slightly ahead of the pack right now. But all of them will take some time to mature at the international level,” he says.
E-Paper
