Wrestling News: Unlike the lightweight division wrestlers, the heavyweight grapplers are yet to make its mark in the world. India’s best choice for it to happen is 2020 Asian Championship silver medallist Satyawart Kadian. The wrestler competes in 97kg which is probably the deepest weight class in freestyle wrestling. He said that India is a long way to be considered amongst the best in the heavyweight category but the right kind of exposure can make it possible. “In India, there are not many wrestlers in my weight categories which makes it difficult for us to test our skills. Therefore, I think, we should get more international exposure in countries like the USA, and Russia which has many good wrestlers,” the Arjuna awardee said in a webinar with WrestlingTV.
Kadian hails from a wrestling family. His father Satyawan Kadian is the 1988 Olympian and an Arjuna awardee too. The 26-year-old said, his father played a very important role for him to choose wrestling. “As a kid, I use to go with him to the Changdiram Akhada. It is there, I built interest in wrestling. Then I began training under my father’s guidance and thank to him I was able to reach this level”.
WATCH FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
The Rohtak-born wrestler broke into the senior side in 2012 after a stellar performance at the national championships in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. Entering the national camp which boasted the likes of Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt was like a dream come true for the young Kadian.
He grew up idolizing Sushil Kumar and dreamt of emulating him one day and sharing the mat with his hero was a surreal experience for him. “I was very shy back then. So I was always hesitant in approaching them. But they were always friendly with us and also very supportive. Eventually, I overcame my hesitance and more comfortable training with them,” he said.
Role of Sakshi Malik in his life
Kadian and Sakshi Malik are the power-couples of Indian wrestling. While Malik is the 2016 Rio Olympics medallist, Kadian is the youth Olympic bronze medal winner. The wrestler feels that having Malik by her side is a big motivation for him. Recalling the Asian Championship finals against the U23 world champion Mojtaba Mohammadshafie Goleij, he said “He was a very tough opponent and I was nervous competing in front of the home crowd. But before the match, she helped me calm my nerves. She told me to believe in me and my skills and leave rest on god. I did lose but a medal was enough to boost my confidence,” Interestingly, “whatever she tells me, she never implies it on herself,” he chuckled.
Mission Tokyo Olympics
He is amongst the many Tokyo Olympics-hopefuls who is waiting for the competitions to resume soon. It will help wrestlers test their skills, Kadian said, and help them assess their shortcomings before the March-bound Asian Qualifiers. “The national championships in December will play a very important role for all of us. It will give us an insight into how much the forced break due to coronavirus has affected us. We will still have time to work on our shortcomings before the Qualifiers,” the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist said.