For Yogeshwar, who almost had an abrupt end to his career because of a knee injury in 2009, the London Games will be his third consecutive appearance at the quadrennial event and he seemed determined to make optimum use of the opportunity.
The grappler who beat two-time world champion Dilshod Mansurov of Uzbekistan to qualify for this year's Olympics at Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana Kazakhstan, said it was the loss in the 2008 Beijing Olympics that kept him motivated to fight for a place in the London Games.
"If I had won a medal in Beijing, probably I wouldn't have been a part of this Olympics. I had a career threatening injury, got operated twice, but the only thing that kept me motivated was a medal in the Olympics," said Yogeswar.
The combative grappler injured his knee just after the 2008 Olympics and had to undergo two operations to get back to the mat.
"It was very difficult to make a comeback from the injury, but my well wishers and coaches kept faith in me and motivated me to get back on my feet. There was a lot of change in my attitude and in my technique," said Yogeshwar.
The 29-year-old informed that preparations for the London Games began just after his loss in Beijing four years ago.
"The preparations began long ago, just after the Beijing Olympics. 2009 was terrible, I injured my knee but I kept my mind focused and cameback strongly to win a gold in the Commonwealth Games," he said. MORE