Ravi Dahiya Aims Nothing Less Than Gold At Tokyo Olympics

The Olympic-bound wrestler Ravi Dahiya, who is all set to make his debut at the quadrennial event, wants to make the most of his opportunity in Tokyo. His target? Nothing, but a gold.

Ravi, in an exclusive chat with Sports Authority of India, said, “A medal is a medal but my personal ambition is to bring home the gold as it is what India needs the most.”

Ravi secured a bronze at the World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan before clinching a quota place for the country in the 57 kg men’s freestyle wrestling category.

He achieved the milestone after a 6-1 victory over former world champion Yuki Takahashi in the quarterfinals of the meet.

Ravi was included in the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after booking the Olympic berth.

He is currently training with the other Olympic-bound wrestler Deepak Poonia at the Chhatrasal Stadium. The duo is going through a rigorous training programme.

They wake up at 3:30 in the morning and start their practice session from 4. The warm-up regime includes several rounds of uthak-baithak (half burpees), that can easily pin an average joe.

“I get free after training at 8am and have some badaam (nuts) and juice as well as fruits later. Then we rest for 2-3 hours and start training again in the afternoon non-stop from 4 till 7.30,” said Ravi who does make it a point to get at least 8 hours of sleep a day.

Sushil Kumar’s influence has been a big factor in Ravi’s growth and Ravi knows he has to bring glory to the country just like his idol has done. According to Ravi, he has always wanted to emulate Sushil and what he has achieved for the country.

While Ravi is not sure yet if he would be able to reach Sushil’s level, he insists that the 36-year old wrestler who won a silver medal at the London Olympics has served as a great source of inspiration for him.