Indian wrestler Satywart Kadian has requested Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to consider him for the Olympic training camp. WFI had last week released the list of wrestlers who will be called for the national camp at SAI Centre, Sonepat after the lockdown ends. Out of six weight categories in men’s freestyle only five were included leaving out the 97kg in which Kadian competes.
The grappler has requested the Indian governing body to re-evaluate their decision and give him a chance to attend the camp. “I have been training hard and was looking forward to attending the camp once it resumes. But it is disappointing that the 97kg category is left out. I would request WFI to give me a chance,” he says.
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Kadian is India’s best wrestler in the heavyweight category. In last one year, he has won two medals for India – both at Asian Championships – and believes that he deserves a fair chance to prove his worth. “I have been performing well. I won the bronze at 2019 Asian Championship and silver this year. I have been training hard and I believe the training camp would have helped me improve better,” he told WrestlingTV.
97kg: The home to best wrestlers in the world
Kadian is yet to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 97kg. The weight class is the most followed weight category worldwide. It boasts some of the best active wrestlers of the world such as Russia’s Adbulrashid Sadulaev and the USA’s Kyle Snyder. With the USA’s J’den Cox and Iran’s Mohammedian Askari also throwing their hat into the fray, the freestyle weight class becomes the wrestling battles of the heavyweights.
This makes it even more important for a wrestler like Kadian to be training and sparring with best wrestlers as much as he can. And the best way to do that is by being part of the national camp. “Although I train at my father’s (Satyawan) akhara, it is not the same as training at the national camp. There I can train with the best and will be under the coach’s guidance,” he said.
Kadian is currently world no. 12 in the United World Wrestling Rankings. He is the bronze medallist at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The 26-year-old is also the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist and 2013 Junior Worlds bronze medallist.
“Until I return to the camp, all I can do is train and be positive,” says Kadian hoping WFI reconsiders him for the camp which is scheduled to resume after the lockdown ends.
