'Narsingh used to tell kids to never indulge in doping,' says SAI's wrestling coach GS Sangha

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Kandivli was a place of gloom on Sunday morning. The news of their own boy, Narsingh Yadav, failing a dope test took rocked everyone present in the city's sporting centre.

GS Sangha, the wrestling coach at the SAI Centre where Yadav trains, was at a loss of words to explain what had hit his most favourite pupil just days before he was to live his dream of representing the country in the Rio Olympics.

"As soon as we found out about this, all of us were simply shocked. We just don't understand it," he said. "Whenever he was in our camp, Narsingh used to tell kids to never indulge in all this. He used to talk to even 10-year-old kids. He used to tell them to reach the top only through sheer hard work. See what has happened to him now."

Sangha said Yadav had a simple diet, and used to always stick to it no matter the situation and surroundings. "He eats a desi diet always, one that is eaten in villages. He used to stick to milk, curd, ghee, badam and such things. Whenever he used to practice here or even in national camps, he always used to stick to his diet. He never broke it. He is a boy of discipline. I used to give Narsingh's example to kids, saying this is where discipline can take you. Never did he commit a single mistake of any kind, let alone a grave one like doping," Sangha, who was coach at the national wrestling camps from 2007 to 2010, said.

Sangha has known Yadav since the latter was 11, and knows the road he took to climb the wrestling ladder. "He came from a poor background. Look where he reached just by sheer hard work. Victory or defeat, he would never change his attitude. He was never arrogant despite achieving so much in life. He is a simple, gentle boy," he said.

We will fight this out: State wrestling association

This isn't Yadav's first controversy in relation to the upcoming Olympics. The 26-year-old was embroiled in an ugly legal battle with two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar. Despite Yadav sealing India's quota at the Rio Olympics in the 74kg category by winning bronze in the 2015 World Championships, Kumar demanded a selection trail, which was rejected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) as well as the Delhi High Court.

Thus, conspiracy theories have been flying thick and fast. And, Maharashtra State Wrestling Association general secretary Balasaheb Landge is sure that this one such theory.

"This is injustice of the highest order," he said. "I have written a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi, sports minister Vijay Goel as well as Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding a re-test. We want National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to take Narsingh's sample test in front of us, only then we will believe in their version.

"I have no doubt that this is false. I feel there is an involvement of Sushil Kumar and his coach Satpal Singh in this. They tried various means to ensure that Narsingh doesn't go to Rio. He even got death threats during the national camp. Now, this is their last-ditch effort. But we will fight this out, even if it means going to court or WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)," Landge added.

Meanwhile, Sangha refused to get into the conspiracy angle, but questioned the timing of this fiasco.

"He has gone to so many international tournaments, be it Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships or anywhere else. Till date, has anything come out against him? There are tests done before each of these competitions. Nothing came out against him then. He is a clean guy, a clean wrestler," he said.

Yadav's chances of going to the Olympics now appear very bleak, but Sangha said every kid in the SAI centre is praying for a miracle. "He is our diamond wrestler. We're all praying here, right from coaches to the kids. We hope he goes there and wins a medal for our country. But there's one thing I can tell you with certainty: our kid can never do this. Never," he said.