Sushil, Yogeshwar to skip asian c’ship

Indian fans would be deprived of watching their Olympic medal winning grapplers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt in action at the upcoming senior Asian wrestling championship as the two have not yet recovered from their respective injuries. Amit Dhankar (66kg) and Bajrang (60kg), who were named as reserves, will replace Suhil and Yogeshwar for the championship, starting here from 18 April. ‘Both Sushil and Yogeshwar are nursing their injuries. During the trials last month, they had said that they will be fit for the completion. But we can’t force them to participate. They are consulting their doctors and will hopefully return to the arena soon. Events such as this are a test for the new crop of wrestlers. It gives them an opportunity to perform. And that too in front of their home crowd,’ said Brij Bhushan Singh, president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). More than 225 wrestlers from 19 countries will compete in the five-day event. Asian powerhouses such as China, Japan and Kazakhstan will field wrestlers in every weight category.