Ahead of Rio Olympics, Avtar Singh keen on foreign exposure

India’s lone bet in judo at the Rio Olympics, Avtar Singh, is using all means available to prove his worth at the biggest stage in world sports. He competes in the men’s 90 kg category and became the first Indian judoka to qualify for the quadrennial event since Akram Shah (60 kg) at the 2004 Athens Games.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, Avtar is the tallest in his category in the world and to get a partner for practice sessions is also a task for him. With the Sports Authority of India’s nod for his training abroad, the Punjab boy is ready to hone his skills further. He will travel to Hungary before moving to Georgia and Russia.

“Georgia, Hungary and France are powerhouses of judo. In Asia, Korea and Japan are tough nuts to crack. So we have decided on where I can get maximum exposure and skilled practice partners,” Avtar told this paper before leaving for Hungary on Tuesday with coach Yashpal Solanki.

Said Solanki, “Avtar is not at his peak at the moment. We still have to work on a few weaknesses. There is no one in the country who can match Avtar. He has been with his training partner Karan Mann for the last four years who belongs to a lighter weight category.

“The aim now is to give Avtar training opportunities with a sparring partner of his weight category for the next two months,” he added.

Serving in the Punjab Police as an assistant sub-inspector, Avtar has represented India at all Gram Slam and Grand Prix judo competitions over the last two years. He also took part in the 2012 Commonwealth Games in England.

“The next month is very crucial and I want to use every bit of it. I owe a lot to Solankiji.”

Asserting that Avtar’s height gave him an added advantage, Solanki said he would work on eliminating glitches in his ward’s technique in the run up to the Olympics. “Avtar is a little bit weak in locking and leg movement, so we’ll try to iron out his problem. He is the tallest judoka in his category, so he has an advantage,” Solanki said.

“His qualities are endurance, height and he is alert. There have been around 30 events that he could have participated in, but he has played in only six of them. The others have participated in 20 to 25 of them, so they have more points than Avtar. If he had gotten enough exposure, he would have surely brought home an Olympic medal,” the coach added.

“He can still win a medal.”

Solanki lamented the de-recognition of the national federation.

“Our federation is de-recognised. The federation is not following the sports code, which it should. Despite the de-recognition, the president and the secretary general of the federation are unaffected, it’s the players who have suffered the most.”