Wrestlemania at CWG trials in Delhi

Double Olympic-medallist Sushil Kumar's qualification for next year's Commonwealth Games ended in ugly scenes after his supporters clashed with those of rival wrestler Parveen Rana, resulting in an unprecedented brawl after the trials here on Friday.

The selection trial for the Gold Coast Games, to be held in April next year, was organised at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, and was attended by, among others, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. The proceedings ended on a stormy note at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here when supporters of both the wrestlers came to blows.

Sushil, on the other hand, claimed that he was bitten by Rana during the bout. "...he bit me but no problem, it might be his tactics to stop me from performing well. All this is a part of sports," Sushil told reporters after the bouts. "Whatever happened here was wrong. I condemn it. There was mutual respect after the fight ended," he added. Incidentally, the 34year-old Sushil had beaten Rana in the Commonwealth Championships final in South Africa a few weeks back.

Also, Rana was among the three wrestlers who gave a walkover to Sushil in the National Championships last month owing to the "respect" they had for the veteran. But on Friday, Rana alleged that Sushil's supporters gave death threats to him and dared him to participate in the upcoming Pro Wrestling League.

WFI President Sharan said the fracas took place outside the wrestling arena and he had not witnessed the drama. However, he promised action if a formal complaint is lodged with the federation. "The incident didn't happen in front of us, it happened outside, in the warm-up area. It was instigated from just one side," Sharan told PTI