The 2019 World Wrestling Championship bronze medalist Ravi Kumar Dahiya is gunning for his maiden continental title at the upcoming Asian Wrestling Championships to be held in the capital from February 18. He also grabbed the gold medal in the 61kg category of the recently concluded Rome Ranking series.
A former junior world wrestling championship silver medallist, Dahiya is training in Russia at the moment and has been working rigorously ahead of the Asian meet.
The Delhi wrestler believes that Iran’s Reza Ahmedali Atrinagharchi will be a tough challenge at the upcoming AWC, while world number obe, Russia’s Zavur Uguev would be a force to be reckoned with at the Olympics in Tokyo.
With the AWC fast approaching, Dahiya has revealed that he is putting in extra hours in training, working especially hard on his leg defense. In a chat with this paper the upcoming wrestler shared how he is preparing for the Asian Championship, his coach and his Olympic dreams.
Excerpts:
How are you training for the Asian Championships? What are your strategies?
I am practicing hard on a regular basis. I am concentrating on basic techniques and watching videos of other wrestlers, which I believe will help me improvise and develop new strategies.
What are the drawbacks that you are currently facing and how are you working on them?
I am working on my leg defense and putting in extra effort in that area. I need to be stronger on my legs, which will help me defeat my opponents easily.
In Asian Championships, which players do you think will come across as a strong challenge for you?
Iran’s Reza Ahmedali Atrinagharchi will be a strong opponent to lookout. Apart from Iran, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Korea will also be tough. In the Tokyo Olympics, Russia’s Zavur Uguev will be a tough contender
How is training in Russia different from India? How is coach Murad Gaidarov’s training helping you?
In Russia, I am practicing and training with better and stronger wrestlers. Each day I am fighting new wrestlers, and I am learning a thing or two every day. Coach Murad is training me in every way possible. He is putting new challenges before me every day and it’s making me stronger as a wrestler and improving my techniques.
How are you preparing for Tokyo Olympics?
I am aiming for Gold at the Olympics and the Asian Wrestling Championships will help me prepare better ahead of Tokyo. I plan to keep working hard and not be a victim of any injury.
