Bibo V/s Kumar

 

                                                                                                                              

Melvin Bibo V/S Sushil Kumar - A match made in Heaven 

A picture speaks a thousands words but when pictures transcend into motion via live broadcast to tell a story of guts, gumption and glory an epic tale which should be passed down the ages is born. Life is reinvigorated and recharged through these tales. Each of these tales tell you not to give up in the face of insurmountable odds and to forge ahead in life with grit and conviction.

 I came across one such tale when I read Ernest Hemingway's immortal classic "The Old Man and the Sea". While many remember the novel for the tussle between Santiago (old man) and the marlin, I remember it for the arm wrestling match between a very much in prime Santiago and The Great African from Cienfuegos. The match is an epic back and forth affair and lasts an entire night before Santiago triumphs earning himself the title El Campeón, or "The Champion".

I saw another such tale the day before yesterday when India's Sushil Kumar took on Nigeria's Melvin Bibo. There is an old saying in sports  "To be the man you gotta beat the man" and when both of these premier athletes met in the semi-finals of the 74kg class of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games  that age old adage came true. But before we talk about the match lets talk about these gladiators.

The Gladiators:

In the blue corner weighing in at an incredible 185 pounds and looking as though he has been molded from Granite is the "Nigerian Nightmare" Melvin Bibo.

In the red corner weighing in at a super-fit 163 pounds is the "Himalayan Hercules" and former world champion from India Sushil Kumar.

The Match-Up:

You or Me!

Bibo and Kumar ran roughshod over the competition both in similar and contrasting ways. While Bibo pounded his opponents into submission with his raw power, Kumar brought opponents to their knees with his technical finesse. Both the wrestlers hardly broke a sweat before their semi-final bout. The question on everyone's minds was what would Kumar do to counter Bibo's brute strength and can the Nigerian handle Kumar's superior technique? 

Round 1

Bibo and Kumar approached each other with caution as thought they were taking a cue from the audience's thoughts. They circled each other very slowly and Wham!, Before Bibo even knew it Kumar took him down and earned 2 points. Both competitors were back to their feet and Kumar once again took Bibo down, 2 more points added. As the round was coming to a close Kumar would repeat the same trick and Bibo now looked roughed up by the pace set by the Indian. But just as Indian supporters were heaving a sigh of relief Kumar went for a tackle and hurt his knee in the closing seconds of the first round as Bibo was prepared this time with a counter move.

Round 2

At the break time even though Kumar's lead of 6 points looked impressive he looked more exhausted of the two with the Nigerian's power sapping all of his energies. Audience held their breath as the round 2 began. Bibo and Kumar started this round with the same amount of caution as the first round but something was different but before we knew what it was, the Nigerian made his move and took down Kumar earning himself 2 points. Suddenly the tables had been reversed the hunter had become the hunted. Bibo who was more passive of the two in the first round had the become the aggressor and Kumar who had a draining first round looked like a sitting target. 

But Champions are made of sterner qualities which us commoners find it very difficult to comprehend. Kumar dug deep and stayed out of reach for the Nigerian but Bibo eventually got to him and propelled him face first into the mat. A lesser mortal would be thrown right off the track by the move but Kumar summoned his tact and requested the referee a time out to treat his injured nose (which I admit didn't look that severe on the broadcast). The one minute break that Kumar received seemed to do wonders for him as he emerged revitalized and took Bibo down within no time. As the clock started winding down on the second and final round of the contest the score card read 8-2.

The Indian was 8 points ahead but the Nigerian only needed a proper take-down to rack up the points. Realizing that both the time and the score were in his favor Kumar wisely stayed away and was deservedly announced the winner when the final bell rang. In victory Kumar showed admiration and appreciation for his adversary and embraced Bibo as only a champion can. 

The Aftermath:

Does anybody really have any doubts about what happened after this fight? Kumar and Bibo crushed their opponent in the finals and semi-finals respectively and deservedly won the gold and bronze medals. The only regret was that this match worthy of a final had to be settled at the semi-final stages of the championship.

  Deserved Winners: Kumar and Bibo on the right with their medals

They say that freestyle wrestling doesn't pull in the crowds as professional wrestling does and there was also a move to eliminate "Wrestling" from Olympics. I don't quite agree with that argument. As someone who has watched the action unfold during the last few days I can vouch for the fact that freestyle wrestling is nothing but entertaining. And the finest example of this sport in the last few days has been Bibo V/s Kumar. It was a classic contest between the unstoppable force and immovable object and worthy of a Wrestlemania main event (Vince McMahon are you listening?). 

Until Next Time,

Yours Sportingly,

J.J. Chaitanya

PS: Bibo admires fellow Nigerian born Canadian wrestling great Daniel Igali who is also admired by professional wrestling great Bret Hart whom I deeply admire. Coincidences just cant get any closer.