I deserved the bronze: Yogeshwar Dutt

Yogeshwar Dutt showed great stamina, skill and endurance to win bronze in the 60kg freestyle division at the ExCel Arena on Saturday night. Dutt defeated Puerto Rican, an Iranian and then a Korean in the repechage round to win India’s fifth medal in the London Olympics.

Excerpts from an interview:

Ques: You really worked hard for this medal.

Ans: Yes, I have really worked for this. I have trained a lot and my journey for this day started after I finished 9^th in Beijing Games (in 2008). If you have to win anything in life, it only comes through struggle.

Ques: How did you keep your focus?

Ans: It’s not easy. There are distractions on the way. In 2009, I had a knee injury that almost killed my career. But injuries can make one more determined. You will see a kneecap when I fight. It tells me that I have set a goal for myself. I have arrived today.

Ques: Are you happy with the bronze?

Ans: No one comes to the Olympics to win a bronze. Like everyone else, I also wanted gold but I was up against good fighters. At least three of them I have previously encountered in world championships and knew they were quality fighters. So I had an idea of what to expect. The bronze is after all an Olympic medal. It is a product of my hard work.

Ques: You were lucky to lose against world champion Besik Kudukhov in the pre-quarterfinals. That helped you gain the repechage round.

Ans: I don’t agree. I am not worried by the reputation of my opponents. Besik didn’t win easily against me. In fact, if I would have been in the other half of the draw, I could have won the gold. All my bouts were tough. My coaches guided me well and I attacked when it was required. My fights were all well-planned. I thank my coaches (Vinod Kumar and team manager Raj Singh).

Ques: There was plenty of support for you.

Ans: Yes. That was amazing. I love this and that’s why I thank my countrymen and the media for believing in me.

Ques: Against the Korean in the bronze medal round, you were fighting like a demon.

Ans: Yes, I was full on. He won the first round. He was fresher than me. Bu once I won the second and got hold of him in the third, there was no looking backs. The spins and rolls on the mat won me the crucial points and the crowd loved it.

Ques: What’s next?

Ans: Let me enjoy the moment. I have been waiting for this day for almost 12 years.