Narsingh Yadav eyes Olympic spot after dope ban ends

Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav, who has served his four-year doping ban, said that it was a really tough time but he is now only focused on the future.

"For a player who was on his peak and suddenly banned and did not get a chance to play, it was certainly a tough time, and that time was painful for me because despite having good performance you are not allowed to play. But that time is my past. I only wanted to come out of this and with the grace of God now I am clean. Whatever happened is past, today my only focus is to train well and get a medal for my country," Yadav told ANI.

Yadav further stated: "I was sure that all this will be sorted soon and I will get chance because I was innocent. I thought that CBI will get the investigation done soon so that I will get the chance early. So that is why I was doing my training continuously. Somewhere in my mind, I had that whenever I will come out of this, I will surely do better and now God has given me chance and due to coronavirus, the Olympics has been postponed until next year, so, I have time to train well. And if I will get a chance to play some competition before the Olympics, it will be better for me to get more confidence and hopefully, everything will be better in the future."

Earlier this month, a few wrestlers including Deepak Punia had tested positive for coronavirus. The wrestlers had reported to the National Wrestling Camp at SAI Centre in Sonepat and when tested upon arrival, they returned positive.

Talking about the training camp and coronavirus cases in the camp, Yadav said: "All are following the set SOP and guidelines given to us. The camp is going well and we train as per the instructions. I don't feel scared of getting infected because following the guidelines is the key to beat it. Personally, for me, if coronavirus would not have come, things would have been different but now it is here so we have to fight it. WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) always supports athletes. When I contacted the federation's president to allow me in the camp, he agreed. Whosoever is capable and have talent will be given chance."

Commenting on the trial for Olympics in the 74kg category with Sushil Kumar, Yadav said: "There is time for it but yes, we have to be prepared, keeping in mind the world level performance and if we are aiming to win a medal in Olympics then we have to beat Russia, the USA, and world's other top wrestlers. As of now, my only goal is to train well so that I can deliver my best. There are so many good wrestlers, not only in 74kg but in other weight categories as well. Time will tell when trials will happen. I am not thinking about trials, as of now, my only aim is to train well."