Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar made a winning return to the international arena by clinching the gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday. Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik also clinched gold in the 62kg women's freestyle category after defeating New Zealand's Tayla Tuahine Ford 13-2 in the final.
Returning to international wrestling after more than three years, Sushil defeated New Zealand's Akash Khullar via a pinfall in the final of the 74kg freestyle category. It was his first international medal since winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Sushil returned to competitive wrestling in November at the Senior Nationals in Indore where he won a gold medal amid controversy. Parveen Rana, one of the three wrestlers who had given Sushil a walkover at the Nationals, won bronze in the same category in Johannesburg.
It's a very proud and emotional moment for me as I have returned to the mat on international level after a gap of 3years. I want to dedicate this Gold medal won in #Commonwealthwrestlingchampionship at #SouthAfrica to my guru and to my Nation. JaiHind����
- Sushil Kumar (@WrestlerSushil) 17 December 2017
In his first bout, Sushil defeated South Africa's Johannes Petrus Botha 8-0, before beating Rana 5-4. He also beat Canada's Jasmit Singh Phulka en route to his gold medal.