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New Delhi: Indian wrestlers will make a fresh start at the Asian Championships in Amman starting on Tuesday. After missing two international ranking series this year due to the administrative crisis at home, the Wrestling Federation of India got its recognition back from the Sports Ministry and the wrestling team was selected based on trials.
In the last three years, no national camps were organised and the limited domestic competitions impacted training and preparation of wrestlers. That India still managed to win a medal at the Paris Olympics showed the depth of Indian wrestling.
The 30-member Indian team for the Asian event will give a peek into the future of Indian wrestling with some young talents looking to test themselves in the big league.
The Asian tournament will also see return of top names like Paris Olympians Antim Panghal and Reetika Hooda and seasoned Deepak Punia.
World championship medallist Antim had a disaapointing run in Paris on and off the mat. She was hardly able to put up a fight against Turkey’s Yegil Zeynep in her opening bout, while her personal coach was involved in a needless controversy.
Since then she has been training away from the spotlight and did well in the selection trials to book her slot for the Asian Championship in 53kg.
Reetika, the U23 Worlds gold medallist, lost to top seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in a close bout in Paris. At the 2023 Asian Championships she won a bronze in 72kg but now she will compete in her regular 76kg weight class.
In 50kg, the talented Ankush, a silver medallist at U23 world championships, has impressed in the selection trials. U23 world medallist Neha Sharma (57kg) and U17 world champion Mansi Lather (68kg) are new faces in the team.
“It is a young team that also has experienced wrestlers like Antim and Reetika,” said women’s chief coach Virender Dahiya. “This tournament will give a good indication of where our wrestlers stand because there were no international competitons or camps. The good thing is that wretsling is back on track and after this event we will draw our schedule of competitions leading to the world championships in September,” he said.
In men’s freestyle, U23 world champion Chirag Chikkara will be keenly watched as he will compete in India’s strongest weight class — 57kg.
India have won four of the last five Asian titles, dominated by Tokyo silver medallist Ravi Dahiya and Paris bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat.
Both are yet to start their season, and in their absence emerging talent Chirag will be expeted to deliver.
Sujeet Kalkal, who narrowly missed out on Olympics quota in 65kg, will be the other wrestler India has high hopes from. Jaideep (74kg) and Mukul Dahiya (79kg) will be competing in Olympic weight division while Deepak Punia has switched to the non-Olympic 92 kg class, as he has done previously after Tokyo.
Sanjay Singh elected in UWW Bureau
Meanwhile, WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh has been elected as a Bureau Member of United World Wrestling (UWW)-Asia. The election took place during the UWW-Asia General Assembly in Amman on Monday. Singh secured 22 votes out of 38.
