Vinesh Phogat will need to overcome a turbulent lead-up to the Paris Games as she steps onto the mat, determined to secure an elusive Olympic medal. Alongside her, five of her fellow wrestlers will also aim to carve their own success stories on the grandest stage when the wrestling competition commences in Paris on Monday.
With an impressive collection of medals, including two at the World Championships, three at CWG, and eight at the Asian Championships, Vinesh stands as India’s most decorated female wrestler.However, her previous two Olympic campaigns have ended in heartbreak.
In Rio (2016), she returned with a broken leg, while in Tokyo (2021), she suffered a devastating defeat ‘by fall’ in the quarterfinals, leaving her soul scarred.
Accusations of misconduct and a suspension by the Wresting Federation of India (WFI) followed, compounding her challenges.
Vinesh revealed that she battled through periods of depression and questioned her return to the mat. Yet, she persevered and not only resumed her wrestling career but also engaged in a fight outside the arena, accusing the WFI chief of sexual misconduct.
As a leader of the unprecedented protest, Vinesh spent nights on the streets alongside Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. The battle was lengthy and continues to unfold in Indian courts.
The protest gradually lost its momentum, and the leaders faced embarrassment as the wrestling community accused the three elite wrestlers of damaging the sport due to their personal interests.
Vinesh encountered further obstacles when she was unable to compete in the World Championships, where Antim Panghal secured a quota in the 53kg category, which Vinesh had previously dominated.
As a result, she was forced to move down to the 50kg category, which is filled with established competitors like herself. Being unseeded, Vinesh faces a challenging path.
The field is impressive, featuring four-time world champion Yui Susaki, four-time Olympic medallist Maria Stadnik, Tokyo Games’ bronze-medal winner Sarah Hildebrandt and two-time World medallist Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal.
Vinesh will have to overcome immense difficulties to succeed in this formidable field. Although she possesses ample talent, hunger and passion, her lack of recent competition against top-level wrestlers may hinder her chances of success.
Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg) and Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg) are India’s top prospects in their respective categories. However, there is uncertainty surrounding Malik’s fitness after she experienced “neck spasm” during training and was advised to rest for 15 days. She had traveled to Japan for training earlier this month.
This will mark Malik’s second Olympic appearance. She has achieved notable success at the senior level, including a silver medal at the World Championships. If she is in good health, she has a strong chance of reaching the medal round.
Antim Panghal’s readiness is also in question, as she hasn’t competed since the 2023 Asian Games. She missed the Asian Championship in March this year due to a back injury. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was unable to assess the fitness of the Olympic-bound wrestlers due to the Sports Ministry’s suspension and the absence of a national camp. However, being seeded should work in her favour.
Aman Sehrawat has shown consistent improvement, replacing Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya in the 57kg category. Dahiya’s comeback was hindered by injuries, preventing him from performing at his best during the selection trials.
Although Aman may not possess Dahiya’s ability to bounce back from adversity, the U23 world champion has a strong desire to succeed, despite still being a work in progress.
Aman’s capacity to handle pressure and counter-attacking wrestlers, such as 2022 World Champion and Rio Games silver medallist Rei Higuchi from Japan and 2023 world bronze medallist Arsen Harutyunyan from Armenia, will be put to the test.
India’s wrestling contingent includes a debut entry in the 76kg heavyweight category, with Reetika set to compete.
Although not considered a top contender, she possesses the potential to deliver an unexpected result. Regardless of her performance, the Olympic experience will provide valuable insights into the requirements at the highest level of competition.
Nisha Dahiya, meanwhile, faces the challenge of limited exposure to major international events. Despite demonstrating improvement, her lack of experience may prove insufficient on the grandest stage of them all.
Since the 2008 Beijing Games, Indian wrestlers have consistently secured medals at the Olympics. The responsibility now falls on the shoulders of these six athletes to maintain this impressive streak and continue India’s wrestling success on the global stage.
India’s schedule for wrestling:
August 5 (1830hrs IST)
Women’s 68kg (Nisha Dahiya): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 6 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 50kg (Vinesh Phogat): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 7 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 53kg (Antim Panghal): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 8 (1500hrs IST)
Men’s frestyle 57kg (Aman Sehrawat): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
Women’s 57kg (Anshu Malik):
August 10 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 76kg (Reetika Hooda): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
*The repechage and medal bouts in all categories will played a day after quarterfinals.
(With PTI Inputs)
With an impressive collection of medals, including two at the World Championships, three at CWG, and eight at the Asian Championships, Vinesh stands as India’s most decorated female wrestler.However, her previous two Olympic campaigns have ended in heartbreak.
In Rio (2016), she returned with a broken leg, while in Tokyo (2021), she suffered a devastating defeat ‘by fall’ in the quarterfinals, leaving her soul scarred.
Accusations of misconduct and a suspension by the Wresting Federation of India (WFI) followed, compounding her challenges.
Vinesh revealed that she battled through periods of depression and questioned her return to the mat. Yet, she persevered and not only resumed her wrestling career but also engaged in a fight outside the arena, accusing the WFI chief of sexual misconduct.
As a leader of the unprecedented protest, Vinesh spent nights on the streets alongside Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. The battle was lengthy and continues to unfold in Indian courts.
The protest gradually lost its momentum, and the leaders faced embarrassment as the wrestling community accused the three elite wrestlers of damaging the sport due to their personal interests.
Vinesh encountered further obstacles when she was unable to compete in the World Championships, where Antim Panghal secured a quota in the 53kg category, which Vinesh had previously dominated.
As a result, she was forced to move down to the 50kg category, which is filled with established competitors like herself. Being unseeded, Vinesh faces a challenging path.
The field is impressive, featuring four-time world champion Yui Susaki, four-time Olympic medallist Maria Stadnik, Tokyo Games’ bronze-medal winner Sarah Hildebrandt and two-time World medallist Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal.
Vinesh will have to overcome immense difficulties to succeed in this formidable field. Although she possesses ample talent, hunger and passion, her lack of recent competition against top-level wrestlers may hinder her chances of success.
Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg) and Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg) are India’s top prospects in their respective categories. However, there is uncertainty surrounding Malik’s fitness after she experienced “neck spasm” during training and was advised to rest for 15 days. She had traveled to Japan for training earlier this month.
This will mark Malik’s second Olympic appearance. She has achieved notable success at the senior level, including a silver medal at the World Championships. If she is in good health, she has a strong chance of reaching the medal round.
Antim Panghal’s readiness is also in question, as she hasn’t competed since the 2023 Asian Games. She missed the Asian Championship in March this year due to a back injury. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was unable to assess the fitness of the Olympic-bound wrestlers due to the Sports Ministry’s suspension and the absence of a national camp. However, being seeded should work in her favour.
Aman Sehrawat has shown consistent improvement, replacing Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya in the 57kg category. Dahiya’s comeback was hindered by injuries, preventing him from performing at his best during the selection trials.
Although Aman may not possess Dahiya’s ability to bounce back from adversity, the U23 world champion has a strong desire to succeed, despite still being a work in progress.
Aman’s capacity to handle pressure and counter-attacking wrestlers, such as 2022 World Champion and Rio Games silver medallist Rei Higuchi from Japan and 2023 world bronze medallist Arsen Harutyunyan from Armenia, will be put to the test.
India’s wrestling contingent includes a debut entry in the 76kg heavyweight category, with Reetika set to compete.
Although not considered a top contender, she possesses the potential to deliver an unexpected result. Regardless of her performance, the Olympic experience will provide valuable insights into the requirements at the highest level of competition.
Nisha Dahiya, meanwhile, faces the challenge of limited exposure to major international events. Despite demonstrating improvement, her lack of experience may prove insufficient on the grandest stage of them all.
Since the 2008 Beijing Games, Indian wrestlers have consistently secured medals at the Olympics. The responsibility now falls on the shoulders of these six athletes to maintain this impressive streak and continue India’s wrestling success on the global stage.
India’s schedule for wrestling:
August 5 (1830hrs IST)
Women’s 68kg (Nisha Dahiya): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 6 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 50kg (Vinesh Phogat): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 7 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 53kg (Antim Panghal): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
August 8 (1500hrs IST)
Men’s frestyle 57kg (Aman Sehrawat): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
Women’s 57kg (Anshu Malik):
August 10 (1500hrs IST)
Women’s 76kg (Reetika Hooda): Qualification bouts till Semifinals
*The repechage and medal bouts in all categories will played a day after quarterfinals.
(With PTI Inputs)