New Delhi: Nobody has pushed Bajrang Punia towards excellence on the world stage like Emzarios Bentinidis did. ‘Shako’ as Bajrang’s coach for four years was like his shadow, even travelling from Georgia to India when the world was reeling under the coronavirus pandemic, taking special permission from the two governments. Bajrang told Shako, “Don’t take the risk in such a situation,” but Shako would not leave his ward alone to prepare for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Under Bentinidis, Bajrang was a different beast on the mat. In those four years, he was the wrestler to beat in 65kg. From Asian Games gold (2018) to three World Championships medals and an Olympic bronze, Bajrang realised his full potential during that period. And he knew what Bentinidis brought to the table. Therefore, when his contract came up for renewal, Bajrang told the federation in clear terms that he needed him back.
Bentinidis, 51, will return to India, this time as coach of the Indian men’s freestyle team, and he can’t hide his excitement. During his stay here, the Georgian got familiar with the local culture, even picking up words. “Bhai (brother)” is a common preface when one is talking to him.
“Bhai, everyone knows my work with Bajrang. For four years he did not lose in any competition. That’s the mentality we worked on. Earlier, Bajrang used to have doubts, “Coach, am I strong enough?” he would ask. We showed what can be achieved if you are mentally focussed,” Bentinidis told HT from Tbilisi, Georgia.
He would expect similar commitment from the current wrestlers. “While guiding Bajrang, I was also supporting a few other wrestlers. Physically Indian wrestlers are good. They are always talented, but they need to improve technically and tactically, and bring a winning mentality on the mat. And they must listen to the coach. Discipline is important. Look at Iranian, Japanese, Russian wrestlers, they listen to whatever the coach says.”
“I wanted to work with the Indian team because they can achieve so much on the world stage. I am very grateful for the trust the federation (WFI) and SAI have shown. They had many candidates but still chose me. I am excited to start working.”
Bentinidis hopes for a longer tenure as coach to allow him the opportunity to chart a plan for the 2028 LA Olympics. “I am hoping to be in India as soon as they complete the process, maybe join the Indian team in next two weeks.”
After his tenure with Bajrang ended in 2021, Bentinidis was training at the US collegiate and university levels, and also in Georgia. The two-time European Championships medallist says he is now a different trainer.
“During this time, my level has changed totally. I have added to my technical knowledge and quality. There has to be a long-term plan, and my target would be to always aim for the gold medal at major championships like Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games. For that, you have to be mentally strong.”
“Some competitions are psychological, like the Olympics. You can prepare for four years, but if in the last four days you are not focused, you can still lose. So, you will have to work out every small detail and practice hard.”
Two things Bentinidis would want to do is have more international sparring for wrestlers and shorter national camps.
“When you train with top wrestlers, it’s a different feeling. The psychology is different in competitions. So, we need to have some training camps outside. Of course, I have to discuss all this with SAI and WFI. Also, I think six-seven national camps through the year are not needed. Two or three camps in a year are good enough, where we can focus more on technical improvement. Then everybody needs to go home, rest, relax, reunite with families, and return to give 100 percent in the camp. Rest and recovery are also very important.”
Two wrestlers who have caught his attention are Sujeet Kalkal and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat.
“Sujeet is already at a good level, he has such energy. If he can improve a little bit technically and be more mentally focused, he can be the one at the LA Olympics. There is a big difference between a gold medallist and a bronze medallist. You have to be that focused. Aman is strong but look at how he is losing by his own mistakes. He has to be tactically better on the mat. I will work with all of them, and you will see the difference.”
