One of Uttar Pradesh’s top Arm Wrestler is Abhishek Prakash. Hailing from the city of Agra, Abhishek has been one of the top Arm Wrestlers in India in his weight category. Abhishek Prakash rose to prominence when he won the Bronze medal at the Pro Panja League ranking tournament held in Gwalior in July, 2022. Since then, he has been on a tear winning tournaments in Hoshiarpur and most recently he won the Gold medal at the Sood Classic World Strongman games in the 85 kg category. He defeated Rahul Kumar in the finals to take home the gold medal. He talked about his recent experience on participating at the Sood Classic World Strongman Games in a live session with Pro Panja League’s Abhishek Singh.
What was your mindset during the final match?
“He was completely exhausted during the match because he was locked in the hook. I felt that I was so much exhausted, so my opponent would be exhausted too. I had a dead wrist. I kept my patience and believed I would win. We practice these for four hours and we are able to understand the mindset of the opponent.”
Were you surprised with the competition that you got during the match?
“I didn’t expect that I would much competition. If the wrist wasn’t curled the match wouldn’t last five seconds. My wrist is currently a bit weak because we did exercises. We’ve been training for 2-3 months and we are hoping that with time we will improve and we don’t get a dead wrist in the future.
Is there any specific training regime you follow for the wrist?
“Wrist curls, there is concentric grip. We do different types of curls on the barbell”
There was one point during the match when your elbow almost touched the pad. It seemed you would get pinned. Did you feel that you would just concede and try to bounce back in the next round?
“No I didn’t feel. Even if I’m exhausted I won’t give up. Recently during a tournament, I competed in 90kg category where Siddhant Kathuria also competed in. So, he also applied the death wrist and my wrist was just an inch away from the pin pad. Then I eventually managed to pin him. So, that gave me the confidence that I can do it because Siddhant is stronger than me.”
The rule of Running Foul was introduced during the event in Chandigarh. What was your opinion on the rule?
“When we first heard it, we were perplexed as it said to pin the opponent even if it’s your foul. I think it’s a negative side. I believe the one who has committed the foul will get exhausted to pin the opponent. Or else the rest is fine.
Do you think the athletes need to improve their stamina for the Running Foul?
“Yes of course. If the foul happens then one should increase the stamina.”
How did you like the ambience of the venue?
“It was great. I liked the venue. But one thing lacked which is lighting. It started to get darker in the evening”
During the matches, the other athletes show their aggression. But, in your case you are always very calm. How do manage it?
“ When I get the number I remain aggressive but when I get to the table I have my respect for the opponent.”
Also Read: From Gymnastics to Arm Wrestling: The Amazing Journey of Akash Kumar
