The Richmond News October 15, 2010 A39
Sports
Hero’s welcome for wrestling gold medalist BY BAL S. SANGHERA Special to the News
Richmond wrestler Arjan Singh Bhullar returned home to a hero’s welcome at YVR this week after his gold medal victory at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The noisy crowd of a several hundred held up signs, banners and photographs. They played the drums and danced as their hero emerged wearing a white Canada tshirt, a white turban and of course the gold medal around his neck and draped with a Commonwealth Games scarf. His victory, in the 120 kg class, came against the home crowd favorite Joginder Kumar. Nevertheless, Bhullar was not short of supporters either. More than 25 family members made the trip from Canada and hundreds came from his family’s ancestral village of Bhullar from the state of Punjab. Even the local crowd could not resist cheering for him. After the final match, one would have thought that they were cheering for India’s victory but it was Canada and Arjan. After the match, he was mobbed by the crowd, seeking his autograph and to get their picture taken with the new Commonwealth heavyweight
BAL S. SANGHERA/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Richmond’s Arjan Bhullar and Canadian wrestling coach Dave McKay are welcomed home at YVR champion. His mother, Sal, was overcome with emotion from the stands: “Blessed are we to have witnessed this event in Delhi and see all the love he received from the locals.” India is a country with a long history of wrestling. Athletes are never booed in this part of
the world. This was even more evident when wrestlers from arch-rival Pakistan were cheered. Amazingly there is so much animosity between the two countries that have fought three wars since independence but the athletes were given full respect. Bhullar was witness to this hos-
pitality: “the venue was great, the people were great, everything was awesome,” he said. Bhullar has been wrestling as long as he has been walking. Being the son of a wrestling great, Avtar Bhullar, he played on the mats where his father wrestled at the family’s home gym.
With all his family members in the stands, Bhullar received a special burst of energy. “Without my family’s support this wouldn’t have been possible. I think the crowd and excitement helped me out there, I fed off it.” His mother agrees: “Arjan couldn’t have done it without all our support (the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes from everyone including Canada).” After the victory, Bhullar ran around the stadium waving a Canadian flag and pointing to the 8000 fans in the KD Jadhav Stadium. As a child he had witnessed his father winning and being cheered by the locals and now it was his turn. “It’s very exciting to see my son where I wrestled years ago and see him become a champion here” said Avtar. Bhullar is taking some time to relax and soak up his victory. At the same time he is working on his wrestling school which will cater to young enthusiasts. There will be no shortage of students as team Canada coach Dave McKay stated about Bhullar: ‘he’s a role model for the younger athletes.” The Arjan Singh Bhullar Wrestling Academy will open next month in Richmond.
KEEPSAKE BOOK - RELIVE OUR GOLDEN MOMENTS Richmond’s Olympic Journey The story of the Oval, the O Zone and the 2010 Games
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games were a once in a lifetime experience and Richmond was front and centre. From the Richmond Olympic Oval to the Richmond O Zone to Paint The Town Red, Richmond embraced the Games like no other community. Relive the memories of those 17 extraordinary days in February. Go inside the rings to learn the stories of Richmond’s remarkable six-year journey to the 2010 Games as we built the Oval and prepared to welcome the world to our doorsteps. Hundreds of colourful photos by award-winning photographers, including Richmond News’ staff photographer Chung Chow, will bring the story to life. Award-winning writer Ted Townsend provides the commentary from both the front row and behind the scenes in Richmond’s Olympic Journey. Get the whole story, from the inspirational and thrilling Canadian victories at the Oval to dramatic performances at the O Zone. With a cast of characters from Olympic heroes to the people of Richmond, Richmond’s Olympic Journey will be a memento to treasure for generations.
RICHMOND’S OLYMPIC JOURNEY ORDER FORM Name:_______________________________________ Daytime Phone: ___________________
Order your keepsake book before October 21, 2010 and SAVE $5! before Oct. 21 $34.95 10153351
(plus $4.20 HST Total $39.15)
after Oct. 21 $39.95 (plus $4.79 HST Total $44.74)
Address: ____________________________________Province: _____ Postal Code:_________ Payment Method: ❏ Cheque or Money Order ❏ Visa ❏ Mastercard ❏ American Express # of Copies: ______ Credit Card #: ________________________________ Exp. Date: _______ Signature:______________________________________________________________________ Mail or drop off the order form below to: The Richmond News, 5731 No 3 Road, Richmond, BC, V6X 2C9. Books will be available for pick up at the Richmond News after November 21. Office open daily Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm - OR - delivery for an additional shipping charge of $7.88 (including HST) per book. Contact Kelly Christian 604.270.8031 for shipping details.