QUALIFIES FOR 2018 CWG
Sushil Kumar and five other men’s wrestlers qualified for next year’s Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast on Friday but only after the selection trials was marred by a brawl between the double Olympic medallist’s supporters and upcoming wrestler Parveen Rana. The clash took place at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.
Apart from Sushil ( 74kg), other freestyle grapplers who qualified were Rahul Aware ( 57kg), Bajrang ( 65kg), Somveer ( 86kg), Mausam Khatri ( 97kg) and Sumit ( 125kg).
The six wrestlers also qualified for the senior Asian Wrestling Championship to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, next year.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held in Australia from April 4 to 15.
Sushil won all his bouts on Friday. But things took an ugly turn when Rana, after losing to Sushil in the semi- finals, allegedly claimed that the decorated wrestler’s supporters beat him and his elder brother “for daring to take the ring” against him.
TV footage showed fans of Sushil and Parveen exchanging blows soon after their bout ended.
There was no official confirmation of any injuries.
Tweeted Sushil later, “It’s very unfortunate and highly condemnable what has happened today at the stadium. I do not support anyone who gets violence in between sportsmanship. My aim is to fight & win for my Nation like a true sportsman & not to win against any group or individual # JaiHind.”