I dedicate this award to my countrymen
“I would like to thank Sportstar and the jury members for giving me this award. Apologies I couldn’t make it to the event,” Ravi Dahiya said in a video message.
Tokyo Olympics silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya was adjudged Sportsman of the Year (Individual sports) at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards in Mumbai.
“I would like to thank Sportstar and the jury members for giving me this award. Apologies I couldn’t make it to the event. I would like to dedicate this award to my fellow countrymen. Jai Hind,” Ravi said in a video message.
Ravi became just the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver after losing 7-4 to ROC’S Zavur Uguev in the men’s 57kg final in Tokyo. Sushil Kumar is the only other Indian to make the gold medal bout — he won silver at the 2012 Olympics in London.
This was the fourth consecutive Olympics where India has won a wrestling medal. India’s previous medals in wrestling came through K. D. Jadhav (bronze in 1952), Sushil (bronze in 200■ and silver in 2012), Yogeshwar Dutt (bronze in 2012) and Sakshi Malik (bronze in 2016).
Senior sports physiotherapist Munesh Kumar, who works closely with Ravi, had told this publication in an earlier interview: “He (Ravi) was unwilling to settle for anything less than gold. We have had Olympics medallists in wrestling, but not a gold medal. Ravi was desperate to do it and we, too, felt he would be the one to do it. That is why he did not appear elated (after winning silver).”
The Dahiya family has collectively gone through years of hard work and today Ravi sits among the elite in his sport, but it wasn’t always the case. When he first came to Chhatrasal Stadium, some ridiculed him for his frail physique, calling him a keeda (insect).
Asked about this by a journalist colleague once, he had smiled. His response: “People talk a lot. I don’t pay attention to such words.” He did not choose words to answer them, he showed them. Ravi is back at work, ready to put on a show where it counts — on the mat.