Varun Sanyal says solo weight cut was 'quite foolish', questions why he was left without support
India MMA fighter Varun Sanyal on Monday described his decision to attempt a weight cut alone before his Asian Games debut as "quite foolish", but said he had little choice in the circumstances and questioned why he was left without support staff.
Sanyal, who was scheduled to compete in the men's traditional 77kg category, was forced to withdraw from the Games on Sunday after passing out during a sauna session while cutting weight. He was subsequently declared medically unfit to compete.
"I came here on two weeks' notice, I found out relatively late. I obviously had a bunch of accommodation issues, and then I was all by myself on a weight cut. In retrospect, that was quite foolish of me to do," Sanyal, son of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal, told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"I had no choice but to do it by myself. That's a question, to be honest, I would like the public to ask, why was I alone? But, you know, things happen, life goes on. I don't want to sit here and feel sorry for myself."
Sanyal was included in the Indian team on September 2, while Suchika Tariyal was the other member of the two-athlete MMA squad. Tariyal went on to win a bronze medal in the women's traditional 60kg category, India's first MMA medal at the Asian Games.
The Indian MMA contingent travelled to Nagoya without any support staff.
"Yeah, absolutely, I am disappointed. I had wanted to participate and show off my skills. I have big aspirations for myself in this sport, and I have backed myself to do well. But yeah, I have to move on," Sanyal said.
"Rather than focusing on what could happen, we focus on what did. And despite all the challenges that the federation has faced over the last year, we came out with a medal, it is huge.
"So, rather than disappointed, I'm more proud of such a good result."
Sanyal said his late inclusion in the squad was the result of uncertainty surrounding the qualification process.
"I qualified for Asian Games back in January. But there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the qualification process. So, I decided to shift focus to my professional career. And I didn't want the slot to go empty," he said.
He said another athlete had volunteered to take the spot and travelled to Uzbekistan for the qualification process in May but did not rank high enough in Asia.
"I was fourth ranked in Asia. I was getting ready for a professional fight in the cage. And then, on two weeks' notice, I found out that my name was announced (for Asian Games). So, here I am," he said.
Sanyal had earlier spoken about logistical difficulties at the Games, saying several athletes, including him, had to wait eight to 10 hours without food before getting their rooms.
