Aichi-Nagoya, Sep 21 (IANS) MMA wrestler Varun Sanyal backed Suchika Tariyal after the Indian’s controversial semifinal defeat at the Asian Games, saying he was confident she had done enough to win despite the judges’ decision going against her.
“I was quite confident that she won. I was sitting with a bunch of people, including PT Usha ma’am who also thought that she had won. But hey, what can you do? Sometimes decisions aren’t in your favour, it’s in the judge’s hands,” Varun told IANS.
Tariyal was narrowly defeated by Hui Hoon Teo of Singapore in the women’s traditional -60kg event semifinal on Monday, which ended her chances of winning a gold medal but secured for her a historic bronze medal, thus making her the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the Asian Games in mixed martial arts.
After the announcement of the decision the 36-year-old was clearly upset, since her victory had been a calm 2-0 win against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
Despite the disappointment of the semifinal result, Varun emphasised the importance of what Tariyal achieved at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
“So like I said, she has won a bronze and the whole country should still be proud of her,” he said.
Tariyal’s medal has opened a new chapter for Indian MMA, which is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya. Varun said the sport has made considerable progress but still has a long way to go in terms of recognition and support.
“So much of the sport has moved forward. You know PM Modi and the government,” he said.
“Yeah, there is a lot being done for the sport but what I will say is this is a relatively new sport in the country. So if you look at the last year or so since the sport was introduced into the Asian Games, it’s been an uphill battle trying to get people to understand the sport, what we do, trying to get people behind us. And to be fair to PT Usha ma’am, she has been quite receptive.”
“So now it’s just about bringing more and more people on board and for them to recognise that this is a sport in which people can bring back medals for the country. We saw people bring back medals last year at the Asian Youth Games and now at the Asian Games.”
Varun believes greater institutional support, including government funding and recognition for the federation, can help Indian MMA develop a stronger pathway for young athletes.
“First things first, I think that proper government funding needs to start coming in.
“Proper recognition needs to be given to the body, the federation that has brought us here, the MMASFI. I think that’s critical because from there you can build grassroots programmes.
“You can start grooming talent from a young age.
“You can start bringing the right coaches. You don’t lose coaches to overseas academies. And talent as well.”
Varun also reflected on his own Asian Games campaign and said he is now focused on building his professional career after making the transition earlier this year.
“So of course the Asian Games campaign didn’t end well for me. The whole process was a bit messy but it is what it is. That’s sport, that’s life.
“So we move on. I turned professional recently in June and I think we just keep going on with that and keep making a name for myself in the sport and hopefully inspire millions of Indians like myself,” he said.
While Tariyal was denied a place in the gold-medal bout, her bronze has nevertheless given Indian MMA a historic first Asian Games medal and a platform to build on at the continental level.
IANS
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