Counselling session for wrestlers

News of Narsingh Yadav and his roommate Sandeep Tulsi Yadav both failing dope tests came like a kick to the collective gut of the Sports Authority of India’s Kandivali campus.

The two wrestlers are the centre’s most decorated grapplers, with Narsingh having won the World Championships bronze last year and the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold. Sandeep had won a bronze at the World Championships in 2013 — a rare medal for India in the GrecoRoman category.

The wrestling hall at SAI Kandivali is embellished by multiple posters of Narsingh and Sandeep kissing their medals or running with the Tricolour after an international conquest. There’s also the odd banner of Sushil Kumar in one corner staring angrily out of the poster.

The positive tests sapped the morale at the centre so much that coaches had a small counselling session with the 30-odd grapplers at the centre on Monday. With chief coach Jagmal Singh away at Sonepat, GS Sangha and Ajay Singh are in charge. “The coaches pointed out that the incident was a reminder that we should always keep our guard up when we attend national camps,” said a wrestler.

“Why will someone take a drug which was relevant 20 years ago and that too so close to the Olympics?” said Vivek Yadav, an 85kg Greco-Roman wrestler, who was part of the Indian team to Georgia in April.

Wrestlers at the campus were more shocked by Sandeep’s result. “The fact that there is some foul play involved is obvious as Sandeep had no real motive to dope at this point. He was not going to compete anytime soon,” said a wrestler.

The positive test will mean a four-year ban and has cast a question mark over Sandeep’s future. By the time he is eligible again, he will be 32.

Incidentally, the 28-year-old began as a freestyle wrestler but switched to Greco-Roman.