NEW DELHI: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has opted to maintain almost the identical squad that competed in the Asian Qualifiers in Bishkek for the forthcoming final Olympic Qualifying tournament in Istanbul next month. This decision comes as a result of the time constraints that prevent the federation from conducting fresh trials.
The roster for the World Olympic Games Qualifiers (WOGQ) in Istanbul, scheduled from May 9-13, will largely mirror the lineup from the previous event in Bishkek.
However, three wrestlers—2018 Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), and U23 world champion Reetika (76kg)—will not feature in the squad as they have already secured quota places in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last month.
Reports indicate that the WFI had initially contemplated organizing fresh trials due to dissatisfaction with the Indian men's team's performance in Bishkek. However, the WFI ultimately decided against this plan due to the tight timeframe between the Asian Olympic qualifiers and the upcoming event in Istanbul.
An insider revealed that even if the federation had a one-month gap between the Asian event and the forthcoming WOQG in Istanbul, fresh trials would have been conducted for the final Paris Games qualifiers. However, given the limited time available, the idea of conducting trials had to be set aside.
"There was hardly any time to hold fresh trials. So it was decided to send the same entries for WOQG," said the source, adding, "it would have been very difficult for wrestlers to lose weight twice within a short span of time to compete in their respective weight categories.
"First they had to lose weigh for the trials and then again for competition; it takes a lot of energy and effort to do that (lose weight)," the source said.
Indian grapplers stand a good chace of clinching a few more Paris Games berths in Istanbul as 54 Olympic quota places in each of the six weight classes of the three wrestling styles are up for grabs.
"Every weight category offers three Paris Olympic spots -- one each to the two finalists and one to the winner of the playoff between the two bronze medallists," said United World Wrestling (UWW) in a statement on Monday.
"Greco-Roman will kick off the competition on May 9 followed by women's wrestling and freestyle finishing it on May 13," the UWW statement added.
Indian squad:Freestyle: Aman (57kg), Sujeet (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg), Sumit (125kg).Greco-Roman: Sumit (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Naveen (130kg).Women's wrestling: Mansi (62kg), Nisha (68kg). (With PTI inputs)The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less
Start a Conversation
Post comment