Nagoya, Sep 20 (IANS) India were dealt a blow when mixed martial arts fighter Varun Sanyal pulled out of his Men’s Traditional -77Kg quarterfinal match on Sunday in Nagoya.
Sanyal had received a bye in the preliminaries and was set to face Bahrain’s Mukhammad Nabiev in the last eight before he pulled out from the competition on medical grounds.
The fighter suffered generalised cramps and body ache last evening while he was in the sauna in his cruise accommodation. Sanyal underwent a medical examination and precautionary blood tests, which turned out normal; however, he was not fully fit for the fight when he woke up the next morning. He consulted with his coach and pulled out of the competition on medical grounds as Nabiev made it to the semifinals.
Sanyal is a Rocky Balboa fan and developed his initial interest in combat sports after watching WWE and TNA. He also saw Indian wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt at the 2012 Olympics and was drawn towards MMA.
“Seeing our Olympians succeed really drew me towards martial arts and eventually towards MMA,” Varun had told SAI Media. “MMA is, in many ways, the most primal form of sport and competition, so I was naturally drawn to it. It’s also a life skill.
“Learning how to defend yourself, stay calm under pressure and make decisions when you’re under physical threat are incredibly important skills. Having to make decisions under pressure, sometimes with very serious consequences, has been one of the biggest learnings I’ve taken from MMA.”
While India missed Sanyal to secure a potential medal in the quarterfinal, Suchika Tariyal assured a medal in the women’s Traditional -60kg category. She defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to secure a 2-0 win in the quarterfinal and ensure India’s first medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
She will next fight for a place in the gold-medal contest against either Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo or Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki.
MMA is among six sports making their Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, alongside freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo. With Tariyal’s semifinal berth, India has already secured a medal in the discipline at its first appearance on the Asian Games programme.
–IANS
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