Babita Kumari on Wednesday revealed that she went against the advise of the doctor, who suggested her not to compete at the Commonwealth Games as her ligament tear injury was serious, and fought her way to a first-place finish, taking home the gold medal.
“I consulted a doctor in Glasgow and the doctor advised me not to fight the bouts because the injury was serious. But I called up Geeta (Babita’s sister) and she asked me if I could compete. I told her that ‘no matter what happens, I would want to fight the bouts because that is why I have come here. Even if I break my feet, I want to compete’,” said Babita.
The 24-year-old Babita said she was confident of getting fully fit before the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Incheon, Korea from September 19 to October 4. “I am better now. Though there are still some niggles but I am confident of recovering fully before the Asian Games. It’s a ligament tear and I have a month now to recover. I have already started training,” she said.
Babita, who won a bronze at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, said though her entry was initially sent for under 53kg freestyle category at the Commonwealth Games, she opted to fight in 55kg as that division is there in Asian Games.
“My weight category was always 55kg and it was dependant on me which category I wanted to compete in. The coach once suggested me if I wanted to fight in 53kg but opted for 55kg as that is the category I will be fighting in at the Asian Games also,” she clarified.
The coaches were keen on Babita contesting in 53kg category, while Jyoti in 55kg as they thought India could then bag gold in both divisions.