Sushil Kumar has upheld the hopes of the Union Ministry of Steel and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) by bagging the bronze medal in the 66-kg freestyle wrestling competition at the Beijing Olympics today. Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel Shri Ramvilas Paswan has congratulated Sushil Kumar on his unforgettable achievement. Shri Paswan has also announced that the bronze medalist will be honoured with a cash award of Rs. 25 lakh by steel PSUs on his return from Beijing. SAIL Chairman Shri S.K. Roongta has also conveyed his compliments to the bronze winner.
Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, both competing in the Beijing Olympics, were spotted by SAIL as potential medal winners in international games. The company has sponsored their training and other expenses for preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Another wrestler taking part in the Olympics, Rajiv Tomar, is also being developed by SAIL for the Commonwealth Games.
It was only a week ago that the Shri Paswan had given a warm send-off to the three Indian wrestlers, including Sushil Kumar, to participate in the Beijing Olympics. Wishing them successes at the Olympics, Shri Paswan had said that the whole country was proud of the success of its athletes and reminded the wrestlers of the euphoria after the gold medal-winning effort of Abhinav Bindra at the Beijing Olympics. He hoped the three wrestlers would also make the country proud in a similar way. The Minister had also urged SAIL to support more such sportspersons in view of the fact that their winning medals at international competitions would bring glory to the company as well.
Sushil Kumar successfully competed at the 2008 Asian Wrestling Championship held in South Korea, winning the silver in the 66-kg category. He was trained in Patiala under the guidance of Asiad gold-medallist Satpal Pehalwan and had also undergone training schedules in Minsk, Belarus and Havana.
