Eye on young wrestlers ahead of major meets, Olympics
As Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat lead a prolonged protest demanding the arrest of former Wrestling Federation of India president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over sexual harassment, their return to the mat any time soon appears bleak.
India gear up for the ranking series in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, starting Wednesday with the trials for the Asian Games and World Championships -- also a qualification event for Paris Olympics -- in three weeks.
The Worlds in Serbia, from September 16, will provide the first opportunity for wrestlers to book a spot for Paris. There are five quotas on offer in each weight division. In normal circumstances, Tokyo Olympics medallist Bajrang (65kg) and two-time world championships medallist Vinesh (51kg) would have been strong contenders.
Bajrang, 29, and Vinesh, 28, were the only Indian wrestlers to win medals at the worlds last year. Bajrang made a strong injury comeback to become the only Indian wrestler to win four world championship medals. Vinesh revived her career after her Tokyo Olympics heartbreak, winning gold at the Birmingham CWG and bronze in the Worlds. But with the careers of the two top wrestlers on the crossroads, it provides an opportunity for youngsters to shine.
Coach Virender Dahiya, who will travel with the team in Bishkek, puts his faith in rising star Antim Panghal – junior world champion – Pooja Gehlot, the CWG medallist and Sushma Shokeen, the 2022 Asian medallist, to step up in the absence of Vinesh. There is also Ankush Panghal, the U-23 world championships silver medallist in 50kg.
“We have a few youngsters who can go ahead and earn a quota for Paris. Yes, they do not have the vast experience of Vinesh and that will take time. These girls are still new to the senior international circuit and are learning, but they have the talent and hunger to succeed,” Dahiya says.
Antim, 19, is widely seen as Vinesh's replacement and came to limelight as the first Indian woman wrestler to win a junior world championships title last year. Her transition to the senior circuit has been good as the Asian Championships silver in February showed. Her focus now is on the upcoming trials.
“Antim decided to skip the ranking series because cutting weight so many times will be difficult. Selection trials is her immediate priority. She has performed well at junior level in World and Asian level. She still needs to improve and fight with the same tempo for the full six minutes, and not give up the lead.”
Unlike Antim, there is no one who has looked like they can even come close to replacing Bajrang. National champion Sujeet Kalkal, a world junior bronze medallist, has shown spark. There is also Anuj Kumar, who lost in the Asian Championships quarter-finals. He is the 65kg entry in Bishkek. Sujeet is concentrating on the trials.
“If Bajrang is not competing, 65kg will be open for anyone to stake claim,” says Lalit Kumar, coach at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium. “You will see a lot of wrestlers moving to 65kg for the trials.”
Sujeet, 20, can raise his level, feels father and coach Dayanand Kalkal. “He skipped the U-23 trials because he is preparing for the Asian and Worlds trials. He has done well in whatever opportunities he has got so far. He beat Yianni Diakomihalis of US in a ranking series last year, who beat Bajrang in the World Championships. He has won gold at the Asian level (U-20 and U-23)."
If no one books a Paris berth in Belgrade, they will have an opportunity in the continental qualifiers and World Olympics qualifiers next year. The Wrestling Federation of India also tweaked the selection criteria which requires the quota winner to win a trials at home to prove his form. The trials are likely in June third week.
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