It was Day 3 of the Senior Wrestling National Championships in Koramangala, Bengaluru. As the clock struck 2:30 PM, Jugnu Bhardwaj was taking on Bhavika Patel in the 55kg bronze medal match. It seemed like a keen tussle before Bhavika from Gujarat usurped her competitor by a margin of 3-1. There was a sense of happiness in the eyes of the victor, Bhavika.
The focus then zoomed in on Jugnu, the vanquished. As soon as Jugnu lost, the Bihar wrestler couldn’t control her emotions. Even when she stepped out of the squared circle, tears gushed forth like a river. A few minutes later, just behind the media box, she slumped to the floor. For a while, it seemed like no one cared about the athlete’s heartbreaking moment. Yours truly wondered whether it was time to console her. At that juncture, a couple of volunteers tried to cheer her up. Although the tears eventually stopped, one could see the dejection and pain written all over the face of the Bihar wrestler.
In sharp contrast to Jugnu, Radhika Jaglan, another wrestler, was in a cheerful mood. She had just won the gold in the 68kg category, defeating Shristi of Delhi. Radhika, who secured a silver at the 2024 Asian Wrestling Championships, opened up to RevSportz: “I was feeling confident before I came in for this competition. I am happy to win the gold medal. The final fight was the most challenging, and the level of competition was quite tough.
“The coach always says no matter what, you must return with the gold. I had fallen ill before my match in the Asian Games (against Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan). I realised that I must keep improving to succeed at that level. I am focusing on the 2026 Asian Games. I want to bring back the gold for India,” she added.
Radhika was all smiles, standing proudly on the podium. Over the three-day competition, many more wrestlers triumphed, and they were feted with medals. Amid the festive atmosphere, it was someone’s defeat that turned out to be the most poignant moment of the competition. If you want to see what sport truly means to an athlete, just look into the eyes of the defeated. Chasing glory in anonymity, only to lose at the last hurdle. But that is the bittersweet nature of sport.
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Fingers crossed, Jugnu will erase the pain and agony of losing out on a medal at the National Championships and rise again. For Radhika, it is about fulfilling her dream of winning the Asian Games gold. Or, if destiny smiles on her, the reward could be even bigger.
Two emotions, one arena.