After the debacle at the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier, all eyes will be on World Championships silver medallist Deepak Punia as a total of 14 Indian wrestlers get ready for the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, which starts from Thursday. Former World Junior champion Punia could not take part in the Asian qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last month after reaching the venue after the weigh-in. Sujeet Kalkal was also denied entry due to the same reason and he will also be in action in Istanbul.
Both wrestlers were later to reach the venue to the floods in Dubai which resulted in them getting stranded at the airport.
Three women wrestlers – Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Anshu Malik (57kg) and Reetika Hooda 76kg) – qualified for the Paris Olympics in Bishkek.
Antim Panghal (53kg) has also qualified for the Summer Games.
In fact, only four women wrestlers have qualified from India so far.
Now a total of 14 wrestlers from India including six each in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman and two in women’s wrestling will aim to earn the Paris Olympics quota at the World Olympic Games Qualifier.
It is the last event to secure a spot for the Paris Games.
it’s a do-or-die situation for all Indian wrestlers at Istanbul where the two finalists in each category will be awarded the quotas. A third quota will be given to the wrestlers who emerge winners in the bout between the two bronze medallists.
The tournament will begin with Greco-Roman style and be followed by women’s and freestyle on the last two days of the four-day qualifying competition.
None of the Indian men’s wrestlers has so far got a quota and drawing a blank will be a huge embarrassment for the country that took some major strides in international wrestling before the protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh halted the progress.
Endurance has always been the strong point of Indian wrestlers but their preparations have suffered in the absence of national camps and competitions due to protest.
Usually, the Indian wrestlers tire their opponents out but for that to happen, it is important to stretch the bout to a full six minutes. It’s a strategy that Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya have employed although the latter has always been aggressive and finishes the bout in a jiffy.
“If the bouts last full distance, Aman can beat any wrestler, so managing the first three minutes are crucial. He was obviously very disappointed for what happened in Bishkek,” said coach Praveen Dahiya who trained him for four years before being shifted out of Chattrasal Stadium.
“There is no national camp for some time and because of that the sport has suffered. It has impacted the preparations adversely, then change in coaching staff also affects. The wrestler has a certain comfort and tuning with coaches they train and when they get changed, that also affects them I feel,” he added.
Another wrestler in focus will be Aman Sehrawat.
If Aman fails to lock a quota, it would also mean that Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya would also lose a chance to compete in Paris.
He would bounce back in contention if Aman gets the 57kg quota and the national federation decides to have one final trial to decide who represents the country in the Summer Games, starting July 26.
Jaidep (74kg) Deepak (97kg) and Sumit Malik (125kg) also have one last chance to make the cut in men’s freestyle.
India squad
Freestyle: Aman (57kg), Sujeet (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg), Sumit (125kg)
Women: Mansi (62kg), Nisha (68kg)
Greco-Roman: Sumit (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Naveen (130kg)
World Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers 2024 LIVE Streaming
The live streaming will be available on the official website of United World Wrestling (UWW). There will be no live broadcast in India.
World Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers 2024 Complete Schedule
9 May
Greco-Roman 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg preliminary rounds – 12:30 PM onwards
Greco-Roman 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (semi-finals) – 8:30 PM onwards
10 May
Women’s freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg preliminary rounds – 12:30 PM onwards
Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg repechage – 12:30 PM onwards
Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg bronze medal matches – 7:15 PM onwards
Women’s freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (semi-finals) – 8:30 PM onwards
Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (3rd vs 3rd) – 11:00 PM onwards
11 May
Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg preliminary rounds – 12:30 PM onwards
Women’s freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg repechage – 12:30 PM onwards
Women’s freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg bronze medal matches – 7:15 PM onwards
Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (semi-finals) – 8:30 PM onwards
Women’s freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (3rd vs 3rd) – 11:00 PM onwards
12 May
Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg repechage – 5:30 PM onwards
Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg bronze medal matches – 7:15 PM onwards
Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg Paris 2024 qualification rounds (3rd vs 3rd) – 8:30 PM onwards
With agency inputs
