London Olympics 2012 Wrestling: Can Sushil Kumar get India its sixth medal?

Zeenews Sports Bureau

London: Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt achieved his Olympic dream when he clinched the bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. His triumph gave India its fifth medal at the 2012 Games and a reason to celebrate after their men’s hockey team endured its worst ever show at the quadrennial event finishing last among the 12 participating teams. Sunday is the last day of the London Olympics and the focus now shifts to Sushil Kumar. Before leaving for London, Sushil Kumar spoke to Zeenews.com. READ HERE WHAT HE SAID» CHECK OUT HIS PROFILE HERE» I MEDALS TALLY» I READY FOR THE GREATEST AFTER-PARTY?» Olympics is not a new stage for Sushil. There is a reason why he was the flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony. The 29-year-old equalled KD Jadhav’s feat when at the 2008 Beijing Games he defeated Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan in the repechage round to claim the bronze medal in men’s 66kg freestyle category. To cast aside any doubts, he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the 2010 FILA World Wrestling Championships. Now, he has a chance to achieve what Abhinav Bindra, Leander Paes, Vijender Singh couldn’t- the feat of becoming the first ever Indian to collect two individual Olympic medals. A lot rides on the shoulders of this grappler from Baprola when he faces 2008 Beijing gold medallist Ramazan Sahin of Turkey in the first round at the Excel Arena. He would be expected to better his own show at the Summer Games and fetch India its first Gold medal at the ongoing Games. However, the path won’t be a cakewalk. And the former world champion knows it. "In my category, there are few wrestlers with whom I have not wrestled so far," "But this is the Olympics. You will have to be prepared for anything. People back home have lot of expectation, not only from me, but from other wrestlers as well. This is a very good sign," he says. A billion plus eyes and hopes rest on him and the wrestler will be determined to provide a fitting end to a successful Indian campaign (leaving aside a few heartbreaks) at London. His event starts at around 1:10 pm (IST). Log on to Zeenews.com for the live coverage of the event.