JAKARTA, Aug 19: Veteran Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar today asserted that his career is far from being over despite a disappointing first round exit from the Asian Games putting a question mark on his future.
The two-time Olympic medallist Indian suffered a stunning 3-5 loss in the first qualification round bout against Bahrain�s Adam Batirov in the men�s 74 kg category here.
But the 35-year-old, who won a bronze and a silver respectively in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, said he was determined to make a strong comeback.
�It (the defeat) was not expected. The 57 kg world champion was sitting beside me and he said he lost. I told him don�t worry, I have lost. It�s part of sport. I will come back again,� Sushil told reporters.
�We can�t be overwhelmed by defeats or victories. It won�t lead you anywhere,� he added.
Sushil came into the Asian Games after losing his first bout in four years at Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia, last month. Though he grabbed his third Commonwealth Games gold in April, the competition at Gold Coast was not a tough one with none of the Asian wrestling power houses in the field.
His form was in question and his exemption from the trials was not appreciated by some quarters in country�s wrestling circle.
Now 35, Sushil lost steam against Batirov in the second period. He was trailing but neither he had the energy nor the power to turn the tables on his rival, who is the brother of two-time Russian Olympic champion Mavlet Batirov.
Asked if he is losing stamina with age, Sushil dismissed the suggestion. � PTI
