'They just can't accept a Mumbai wrestler being so successful'

Narsingh Yadav and coach Jagmal Singh

2015 World Wrestling Championships' bronze medal-winning wrestler Narsingh Yadav's coach Jagmal Singh is upset with allegations painting his most famous ward as the villain in Indian wrestling's most recent controversy.

Also read: Narsingh Yadav fails dope test, Rio Olympics participation doubtful

In the dope net: India's Narsingh Yadav stands behind the net during a game of volleyball with other athletes at the Sports Authority of India campus in Kandivli recently

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) yesterday revealed that the Rio Olympics-bound Mumbai-based 74 kg grappler had failed a dope test conducted by them on July 5 at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) regional centre in Sonepat. NADA chief Navin Agarwal said that both Narsingh's 'A' and 'B' samples had tested positive for a banned substance, which sources claim is methandienone, an anabolic steroid that can be orally consumed primarily to gain muscle size. The issue has put the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold-winner Narsingh's Rio Olympics participation in big jeopardy.

Narsingh Yadav's coach Jagmal Singh

Jagmal, however, is confident it is a conspiracy. "The national wrestling lobby, which is heavily North Indian, cannot digest the fact that a Mumbai wrestler like Narsingh has emerged so successful. First, it was the Sushil Kumar controversy and now this," Jagmal. Yeh sab ek saazish hai (it's all a conspiracy), who has been training Narsingh (26) since he was a 10-year-old at the Sports Authority of India campus in Kandivli, told mid-day from Sonepat, Haryana yesterday.

India's two-time Olympic medal-winning wrestler Sushil had approached the court seeking a selection trial for the 74 Kg Olympic spot which Narsingh had earned with his bronze at the 2015 Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas.

A difficult year
"Ever since Narsingh won the bronze at the Worlds in USA last September, things have been very difficult for us. He was made out to be a villain for depriving Sushil Kumar of an Olympics spot even though my boy had earned his place in Rio, while Sushil had skipped the Worlds since he was recovering from injury. That controversy died down after the court ruled in favour of Narsingh, but ever since, we have been made to feel like the bad guys. We have been here at the SAI's Sonepat Centre for the national camp since January, and throughout we have felt like we are being watched. Every move Narsingh made, was being watched. Har kadam phoonk-phoonk kay rakhna padta tha (we had to take every step very carefully). This drug, I don't even know what it's for, can be orally consumed and I'm sure someone, somewhere has mixed it in Narsingh's food, or food supplements or drinks. He is not a fool to take drugs less than a month before his most important assignment," said Jagmal.

Extra-cautious about food
When asked how come Narsingh could be careless in his food intake, Jagmal shot back saying that instead he was extra-
cautious. "I personally have been looking into what Narsingh has been eating and drinking here. I have an assistant here with me - he is also a Mumbai boy - who goes to the SAI mess and picks up Narsingh's food and personally delivers it to him. His water too is brought by this boy, so there is no question of us being careless. However, it takes a second to mix something in someone's food or drink and when Narsingh may have gone to the toilet or somehow, somewhere in a split-second his food may have been contaminated. It's a shame that people have put personal egos and agendas ahead of a national medal here," said Jagmal.