Bronze age,golden dawn

That regular pre-performance anxiety is clearly absent. So is that perennially determined persona that has turned Sushil Kumar from a struggler to a world champion. Today is about his junior colleagues. And he doesn’t disguise his concern about their performances in the trials.

“Inexperience,” he says,as Deepak loses in the dying moments to Ramesh Kumar. His entourage nods in unison. “He should have held on for five more seconds,” he adds. It’s not that he is haughty. Having achieved what he has in the last 12 months,he will be pardoned even if he is.

Thursday was a change in his endurance routine. This was the first time in many years that Sushil found himself on the other side of fight-nights,a part of the crowd,enjoying the best of the action from a distance. While others were going through their pre-match routines for the big trials,Sushil — who was given a direct entry to the World Championships — watched the excitement from a distance,while interacting with everybody who greeted the Pehelwanji with humility.

And by the look of it,he has enjoyed the change. For close to three hours,wrestling’s biggest name in the country was away from his back-breaking routine,but as the venue began to empty out,life slowly returned to normal. He wondered what his coaches would line up for him in the evening session; strength and endurance exercises followed by a light gym work out was on offer in the menu.

“I better take some rest,otherwise my body will not be ready for the evening,” he pleads,treading back to his old abode — Room 113 in SAI’s Sonepat hostel — with eight burly musclemen in tow.

Bridge to London

Having been away from the tournaments for almost a year,Sushil’s insistence on seeking near-perfection while training is understandable. His last competitive bout was the win over South African Heinrich Barnes during the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. And with a grueling season ahead,starting with the World Championships in Turkey,the race for winning a London Games ticket has occupied his time.

During these months,the nagging shoulder injury has healed too. “I am a 100 percent fit. Result dene ko tayyar hai body,” he says. The confidence cannot be missed. For the record,he needs to finish in the top-six at the Worlds to make the Olympics,but as defending champion — his 2010 gold was the first by any Indian wrestler — the 28-year-old is looking for an encore. Hence,the need to get it right during training.

“Because there is no local competition in my weight category,I have to fight against bigger guys,mostly the ones from 84 kg. So to get better,I’m heading to Belarus for a month’s training,and hopefully I’ll find sparring partners there,” he says.

Also with time,maturity has added another layer to his determination. “Previously I’d rush into my moves. Now I’m a lot more mature.”

Glory days

With a fresh dash of paint,the room — like many areas in Sushil’s life — has changed post his Beijing heroics. And even more so after the World Championship and the CWG gold. The Tata Safari has given way to a Ford Endeavor,Nokia has been phased out for a Blackberry,but his childhood friends are still welcomed with a drink,preferrably badam milk or lassi.

“Nobody,except those closely linked to wrestling knew me before Beijing. But because I’m recognised these days doesn’t mean I should behave differently now,” he says. “These people,” pointing to the pack,“and my coaches and family have sacrificed their all for my cause.”

Even when reliving his glory moments,Sushil can’t seem to forget his Athens Olympics exit,where he finished 14th. “I could’ve won a medal in Athens 2004 too,but there was no repechage there,” he says. In Beijing,however,a bronze star was born.

With the elusive World Championship gold in Moscow last year,the expectations continue to grow. “People expect plenty from me,which is right. I only hope that these expectations and prayers come true for me in London.”

Life has changed after his marriage to Savi,guru Satpal’s daughter. But the champion wrestler maintains that he still lives a bachelor’s life,in his adopted Sonepat.

“I have no responsibility on my shoulders. All I have to think of is how to better my skills,which was exactly the way it was before my marriage to her. There’s no change in my lifestyle. We meet once or twice a month as she knows I have some unfinished business.”

The business? A bronze eagerly waits to be upgraded to gold in London next year.