Judoka L Shushila Devi says injury derailed her quest for top finish; promises better show in future
L Shushila Devi. Pic/Getty Images
Indian judoka L Shushila Devi battled injuries to sign off with a silver medal after losing the women’s 48kg final against South Africa’s Michaela Whitebooi here on Monday.
India won a second medal in judo in the form of a bronze when Varanasi’s Vijay Kumar Yadav (men’s 60kg) defeated Petros Christodoulides of Cyprus by ‘Ippon’ in just 58 seconds.
Four stitches on right toes
In a tight contest, Shushila, who had four stitches on her right toes, fought hard before losing the final via ‘Waza-Ari’ in 4.25 minutes.
It was the Indian’s second silver medal at the showpiece. She had finished runners-up at the 2014 Glasgow Games as well. “Before coming here I sustained an injury on my right toes in training and it needed three-four stitches,” she said. “But I was mentally strong and gave my everything that helped me reach the final. I also battled shoulder and knee pain. I’m sure I would have won the gold if I was not injured.”
Asked about her journey from winning the silver at Glasgow 2014, she said: “I’m more experienced now. I hope I will turn it into gold next time.”
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‘Unhappy with silver’
“I’m not happy at all with the silver. After the selection I was pretty confident of a gold. If I was injury-free I would have won a gold.
“Next tournament is the Asian Games then we will think of the Olympics which is obviously the ultimate goal,” she added.
Yadav executed ‘Ippon’ to clinical perfection to win the highest score and win in an emphatic fashion. Ippon is the highest score in judo where the winner executes a full throw to immobilise his opponent.
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