Purse to Podiums

While India continue to rely on Sushil Kumar headed for his fourth Olympics, a glaring miss from the list — if past achievements is a criterion — is Sandeep Yadav.

The Sports Ministry’s ambitious Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS), announced its first batch of beneficiaries who will be allocated funds in the run-up to the Rio Olympics in 2016. Express takes stock of where the athletes in the short-list stand currently — to see what has worked for them and what hasn’t in the last 24 months.

Today we look at wrestling, the highlight of the last Olympics after a silver and bronze at London. While India continue to rely on Sushil Kumar headed for his fourth Olympics, a glaring miss from the list — if past achievements is a criterion — is Sandeep Yadav, the first wrestler in a decade to pick a Greco Roman medal in the 2013 World Championships.