Commonwealth Games gold medallist wrestler Rahul Aware says Asian Games are like Olympics in lower weight category. He further quotes that most past medal winners in Olympics in the lower-weight classes belonged to Asian countries.
“Before this, I have a gold in Junior Asian (championships), a rank in the Senior Asian (championships) and have played 7-8 Asian Championships. Asian players have been medal winners in 55-60 kg category in the past Olympics, so Asian Games are like Olympics,” Aware told PTI as reported by Times of India.
“Check the results in the light-weight category at Olympics — Japan, Korea, the countries which have been carved out of Russia and are in Asia — you see players from these countries as medallists in light-weight categories. When one becomes an Asian Champion, he is a contender for an Olympic medal,” he explained.
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Aware says surpassing the trials are much more tougher than winning the gold in any of the multi sport event of the world.
“Be it any Games, CWG or Asian or Olympics, Games are Games and every athlete comes prepared. The trials before the Games are much harder, to win in the trials is harder than winning in the Games. So in that regard, the CWG gold will be helpful in the Asian Games as after a long time I succeeded in a big tournament,” added Aware, who won the gold on his CWG debut in Australia.
The man from Beed in Maharashtra overcame the challenge from Canada’s Steven Takahashi in the 57 kg freestyle class category gold medal match despite suffering from a groin niggle.
The Pune-based wrestler said only his practise had helped him to bag the top honours at Gold Coast CWG.
“I had prepared for the CWG for long. It is a proud moment to win a medal in the Games, as athletes from different nations come well-prepared,” he said.
Aware is thinking of training in Georgia before the start of the Asian Games in August.
