Satyawart Kadian
Satyawart Kadian from Majra village in Jhajjar district, Haryana, bagged a medal at the World Junior Wrestling Championship in Sofia, winning a bronze in the 96kg freestyle category.
The 18-year-old Kadian got the better of Turkish wrestler Ali Bonceoglu in the bronze-medal match after beating three opponents, including a Kazakh and an Iranian grappler, to make it to the semifinal.
Hailing from Haryana's Majra village in Jhajjar district, Kadian got trained with Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt at the senior national wrestling camp in Sonepat.
In an email interview from Sofia, the youngster, who battled through an ankle injury in the semifinal and bronze-medal bouts, told TOI that the wrestling contingent's lean spell motivated him to win a medal.
"The first few days were not good for us. We didn't win a medal in freestyle and Greco-Roman. I wanted to end this barren spell and win a medal at any cost. After the first round I felt in good form. In the bronze-medal match I desperately wanted to register a victory," Kadian said.
Raj Singh, secretary general of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), feels Kadian's exposure with senior wrestlers in the national camp helped him toughen up his game.
"At the camp he (Satywart Kadian) regularly takes tips from Sushil (Kumar) and Yogeshwar (Dutt), who help him iron out the flaws in his game. What I have seen of Kadian is that he is eager to learn and always interacts with senior wrestlers. I am happy that he is doing justice to his talent," said the Dronacharya awardee.
Kadian's father Satyawan pehelwaan is an Arjuna awardee himself and runs an Akhara in Rohtak. Satywart initially learnt the ropes of the trade from his father, who feels that the teenager is a "quick learner".
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