“Only yesterday, I told Saina (Nehwal), one day you will get married, you will have your children… but you can continue to play (at the highest level). I am sure your husband, whoever he is, will support you. If I can do it, you too can…” This candid, from-the-heart advice from Mary Kom, with Saina unable to control her laughter, had a packed hall in splits during a function organised by consumer-durable major Samsung to honour the Indian medal winners in the London Olympics. Silver-medallists Sushil Kumar and Vijay Kumar received Rs. 15 lakh each while the bronze-winning quartet of Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Yogeshwar Dutt and Gagan Narang took home Rs. 10 lakh each. These days, the loudest cheers somehow are reserved for Mary each time she is felicitated. The boxer from Manipur stole the show after wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt made an impact on the audience at a function where Samsung honoured the six medallists. Yogeshwar, who managed a bronze in his third Olympic appearance, said, “All the pain vanished once I got the medal. For years, I dreamt of winning an Olympic medal. After coming close to it in Beijing, I knew, London could well be my last chance. I gave it all. The medal means the world to me. It would have been very difficult for me to live, if I had not returned with a medal.” Still nursing a swollen right eye, 29-year-old Yogeshwar’s speech drew repeated applause from the audience that included several members of the Olympic contingent. Sushil, the only back-to …
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