Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt is not keen to collect the upgraded silver medal from 2012 London Olympics on humanitarian grounds given that the original second place finisher’s positive dope test came after his death.
“Besik Kudukhov shandaar pehelwaan the (Besik Kudukhov was a magnificent wrestler). Unke mirtyu ke baad dope test mein fail ho jana bahut dukht hai (His dope test returning positive after his death is very sad). Main khiladi ke roop mein main unka samaan karta hoon (As a wrestler, I respect him),” Yogeshwar tweeted.
“Agar ho sake toh yeh medal unhi ke paas rehne diya jaaye (If possible he must be allowed to keep the medal). Unke pariwar ke liye bhi samaan purna hoga (It will keep his family’s honour intact). Mere liye manaviya samvedana sarvopari hai (For me humanity is above everything else),” he said.
The four-time world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Kudukhov, who had died in a car crash in 2013 in southern Russia, failed a World Anti-Doping Agency dope test conducted on his sample from 2012 before the Rio Games.
As a result, Yogeshwar, who had bagged a bronze medal in men’s 60kg freestyle category in London Games, joined Sushil Kumar as the other silver-medallist wrestler from the 2012 London Games.
Yogeshwar, who had bowed out in the first round of men’s 65kg freestyle at the recently concluded Rio Olympic Games, had lost to Kudukhov in the pre-quarterfinals at London.
But once the Russian advanced to the final, Yogeshwar got another chance in the repechage round and went on to win a bronze.
The 33-year-old wrestler would be handed a silver medal after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) gets the confirmation in writing from the World body (UWW).
Yogeshwar, after getting the news of his medal upgradation on Tuesday, had dedicated his silver to the country.
“I got to know this morning (Monday) that my bronze medal is getting upgraded to silver medal. I dedicate this medal to all my countrymen also,” he had tweeted on August 30, 2016.