Narsingh Yadav aiming for 2022 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games

Coach Jagmal Singh (left) and Narsingh Yadav with his bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas

India grappler Narsingh Yadav's coach Jagmal Singh has revealed that his ward has no intention of hanging up his boots despite failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after returning from a four-year doping ban.

"Narsingh is disappointed that he could not qualify for Tokyo but that does not mean he will be quitting the sport. No Indian wrestler has qualified for Tokyo from the 74kg and that's sad. But Narsingh has proved his worth by winning a bronze medal in the 79kg category at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in April.

"How many Indian sportspersons do you know who have come back from such a lengthy ban and won an international medal? This shows that Narsingh is still a champion and has a lot of wrestling left in him," Jagmal told mid-day on Friday from Pune, where he has been invited to coach at a private academy.

Mumbai-based wrestler Narsingh, 31, a bronze medal-winner at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing a dope test just before the 2016 Rio Olympics. He completed the ban last year but could not win the national trials for a shot at the Tokyo Olympics.

Jagmal admitted that Narsingh was a bit rusty when he got back to competitive wrestling last year. "Four years is a long time, so a bit of rustiness is expected. Remember, he lost some of the best years of his life to a dope ban that was unfair. The real culprit, who spiked his food/drink, was never caught despite a top-level probe being ordered in the matter. But Narsingh is not one to give up so easily. He is now aiming for the 2022 Commonwealth Games [in Birmingham, England] and Asian Games [Hangzhou, China]. He has already won medals at both these competitions before [gold medal at the 2010 CWG in New Delhi and a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games] so that experience will keep him in good stead. There is no doubt that Narsingh will win more medals for India in future," Jagmal concluded.

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