New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) India's Greco-Roman wrestler Sunil Kumar has set his eyes on the gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games as he looks to go all the way after winning a bronze in Hangzhou 2022.

Kumar, who competes in the 87kg category, began his journey in the sport in his village and has now turned out to be one of the top wrestlers in the Indian contingent heading for the Asian Games.

"I started wrestling in my village, and in the beginning, it was just something I enjoyed doing. But as I grew and started competing, I began to think that I wanted to do something for my country, not just for myself. That thought has stayed with me ever since, and it is what pushes me even today," said Sunil.

Kumar has his focus on winning a gold medal as he looks to build on the recent training camp in Uzbekistan. "My full focus right now is on winning a gold medal for the country at the Asian Games. Everything I am doing is working towards that one goal. We recently had a training camp in Uzbekistan, and it went very well.

"The Uzbek wrestlers are very good, and there were a few gold medallists from 2022 training there as well. Training alongside wrestlers of that level pushed all of us to get better," he said.

The grappler has had his own share of battles with injuries over the years. He underwent knee surgery last year and admitted that fear of getting hurt never fully goes away for any wrestler, even at his level. However, Kumar also sees this as something that every athlete fears.

"I had knee surgery last year, so I know what it feels like to go through an injury. The fear of injury is always there at the back of your mind; no wrestler can say that they don't feel it. But if injuries were not a part of this sport, then anyone would have been able to do what we do. Everyone carries a little bit of that fear; it is just part of playing this sport at this level," he said.

The Asian Games 2026 remains Kumar's top priority, but he is also keeping an eye on the next phase of his career as he looks for an Olympic qualification next year.

"Once the Asian Games are done, my preparation for the Olympics will begin properly from 2027, when the qualification events start. That will be the next big target for me," he said.

The grappler has also had the backing of the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) for the support that carried him through that period. "After my knee surgery, IIS supported me a lot through my rehab. They gave me access to a really good gym and made sure I had everything I needed to recover properly. Because of that support, my comeback went well, and honestly, once I came back from rehabilitation, my body actually felt stronger than it did before the injury," he said.

--IANS

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