Nonetheless, Sushil’s achievements secure his place among the pantheon of Indian wrestlers. Wrestling is a totally physical sport, and winning an international medal or qualifying for the Olympics takes gruelling work. “I’ve been wrestling since Class VII, or when I was 13 or 14. When Leander won the Olympic bronze in Atlanta 1996, I didn’t grasp its significance; when Karnam Malleswari won the weightlifting bronze in Melbourne 2000, I realised it a bit,” Sushil tells Outlook. “And when I competed in my first Olympics in 2004 and watched Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore win the shooting silver, I realised the grandeur of it all. There is no atmosphere like the Olympics, not even at the World Championships,” admits the diminutive wrestler.