20-yr-old wrestler succumbs to injuries

Mumbai: Nilesh Kandurkar, a 20-year-old budding wrestler, who suffered severe neck injuries while wrestling on Monday in Satara, succumbed to his injuries on Friday in Karad’s privately run Krishna Hospital. Nilesh had suffered severe neck and vertebral damage in a local tourney after receiving a massive blow from his opponent. His death has shaken his family and the entire wrestling fraternity in Kolhapur.

The wrestling tournament was organised as part of the ‘Jotirling Yatra’ festival fair on March 31 at Bandewadi village. During a bout on Monday, Nilesh’s competitor used a wrestling move known as ‘ek chak daanv’ on Kandurkar, which resulted in the latter getting gravely injured. His neck’s vertebra and body twisted.

Nilesh was shifted to a local hospital in Kolhapur and was later admitted to Krishna hospital in Karad. But four days after his accident, he succumbed to his injuries.

Doctors tried their best to revive Nilesh but the wrestler did not respond.

 While talking to The Asian Age, his cousin, Sanjiv Khot said, “We wanted him to secure gold for India, but destiny had a different plan. We cannot blame any one as it was just a game which turned out to be a tragedy.”

 He further added that Nilesh had suffered severe injuries on his neck as he hit the  hard ground which resulted in neck twisting, leading him to succumbed to vertebral injuries