Sangram Singh will return to the mat. The former Commonwealth heavyweight wrestling champion has announced the launch of KD Jadhav Memorial International Wrestling Championship. The one-day is a tribute to the legendary wrestler and Independent India’s first individual Olympic medallist KD Jadhav, and is aimed at giving opportunity to deserving talent and “unearth talent from tier-2 and tier 3 cities”.
The one-day championship is slated for September 15 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.
Sangram himself will be making a comeback to the mat. He will take on the US star wrestler Kevin Radford.
India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, Olympian boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar were also present at the dias as the 32-year-old outlined his plans to take the sport to the next level.
“I felt that he Jadhav devoted his life to the sport but eventually ended up living in anonymity. He didn’t even get pension. So, I thought of doing something for the upcoming wrestlers. Every aspiring wrestler, particularly from the tier 2 and tier 3 cities, should get a platform to showcase their talent and shape up their careers,” Sangram said at the launch.
“We will give opportunities to young, talented wrestlers in the country while at the same time keep our legend’s memory alive. We are also aiming to improve the profile of the sport,” Sangram said at the Press conference.
“This is a truly momentous day for Indian sport. There couldn’t have been a better way to pay our respects to our country’s first (individual) Olympic medallist,” Bindra said. “I have always been an admirer of KD Jadhav.”
Some of the under-card wrestlers will be Yudhistir, Lubhanshu, Sherpal, Himanshu, Shravan and Pratik. Two female wrestlers will also be seen in action — Ekta vs Akansha.
The championship will be played under professional wrestling rules. All the bouts will be contested over six rounds of six minutes each separated by a 45-second break.
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