After success at Asian level,Anil eyes World Judo Championship

When he met Bayu for the title fight,he put all his effort and matched the Indonesian in both skills and determination. “It was an even match and I held on to my own till the final five minutes. However,the bout was extended by one minute and he was able to score an extra point which made him the winner. I was so close to victory and yet I had to settle for the silver. I was in tears after the bout,” Anil,who became the first Indian heavy weight judoka to win a silver,said.

If it was his hard work that helped him win a medal,then credit also goes to Hungarian coach Joseph who brought the best out of them during the one-and-half month camp at Bangalore. “He worked hard to improve our game. We improved a lot under him and his tips helped us a lot during the bouts,” he said.

Anil,who had represented India on 23 occasions,both at national and international stage,turned to judo in 1997 when he had had just entered the university. “It was the inter-college judo championship and coach Kultar Singh asked me to participate in the event. I was always inclined towards judo since one of my cousins had represented India at international level in the past. So when Kultar sir asked me,I just nodded in affirmation. I secured a bronze and after that I just stuck to judo,” Anil,who has till now won 11 gold,six silver and six bronze medals,recalled.

Despite coming from a poor background,Anil who hails from Bahadurgarh,did not let money become a hurdle and continued to strive hard. “I used to walk around two kilometres from my home towards the main road to get a tempo,so that I could reach the railways station. Thereafter,I used to board a bus to Nehru stadium,Delhi,so that I could reach in time for practice. It was exhausting but necessary,” said the 30-year-old.

Five years later,Anil played his first international tournament- Sri Lanka International Judo Open Tournament- and he stamped his authority with a gold medal in his first international outing. After that,he has consistently performed for India and bagged numerous medals. Anil had also participated In Doha Asian Games,where he bagged the fourth place.

After missing two days of camp in Bangalore for a felicitation ceremony in Panchkula,the Haryana Police inspector will return to Bangalore to prepare for the World Judo Championship starting from August 26 to 30 at Rotterdam,Netherlands.

“It’s a big event and I want to do well in it. The win in Asian Martial Arts Games has made me confident,and I hope I would be able to return with a medal. I am also keeping my eyes at 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2012 London Olympics,” said the 30-year-old.