Pakistan wins first Commonwealth Games wrestling gold in four years
The final day of the wrestling competition in the 2010 Commonwealth Games proved to be special for Pakistan. The South Asian nation ended their 40-year gold medal drought in the sport by winning not just one, but two gold medals at the Indira Gandhi Sports
Complex on Sunday.
Azhar Hussain gave Pakistan their first Commonwealth Games wrestling title in four decades when he defeated Nigeria's Ebikewenimo Welson, 4-3, in the freestyle 55kg final. The 21-year-old pinned his opponent in the second round to seal the win after the
first period ended at 3-3.
"It was the passion to win for the country that kept me going as I could not afford to lose in front of Indian leaders including Sonia Gandhi," said Hussain, who won a silver medal in the same weight class in the Greco-Roman category last week.
Hussain reached the final by defeating local bet Anil Kumar, 3-1, in the semi-finals. Anil downed Craig Pilling of Wales in just 33 seconds to claim the bronze medal.
Mohammad Inam made it a double victory for Pakistan when he topped the 84kg division. The Punjab University student engaged Indian Anuj Chaudhary in a tough battle before escaping with a win. The bout ended tied at 3-3 after regulation but Inam pinned his
opponent in the tie-breaker to seal the victory.
"It was very tense in front of a noisy crowd but I made up my mind that I have to win in any case," he said.
Nigerian Andrew d**k took the bronze medal by defeating South African Gerald Meyer in the third-place play-off.
In the day's final bout, Arjan Bhullar of Canada defeated local bet Joginder Singh 4-0 to win the gold medal in the men's 120kg class. The Richmond, BC native led 1-0 after the first round before pinning his opponent in the second to secure the victory.
"I knew it was going to come down to me and India. We both knew that. It was good to have it in the finals - high stakes, high pressure. That’s when I like to wrestle, that’s when I like to win," Bhullar said.
Bhullar also acknowledged his Indian roots after his victory.
"I'm born in Canada, though, I owe a lot to Canada. But India’s always where my roots are. I’m very respectful to the home country and the people, but Canada’s my country, that’s for sure," he said.
Hugues Thiery Onanena of Cameroon defeated Australian Denis Roberts to win the bronze medal.
Sushil Kumar gave India their only gold medal of the day. The reigning world champion downed South Africa’s Heinrich Barnes 7-0 in the final of the 66kg division. Canadian Chris Prickett won the bronze medal.
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