All eyes on Vinesh for CWG selection trials
LUCKNOW : All eyes will be on two-time gold medallist Vinesh Phogat when the trials to pick the Indian team for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games take place at the Sports Authority of India centre here on Monday. The ace wrestler is expected to face stiff resistance from fellow grappler Anju, a bronze medallist at last year’s under-23 world championships.
In the previous two meetings, Phogat, a gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, found Anju to be a tough customer. At this year’s Yasar Dogu 2022 ranking series in Istanbul (Turkey) in February, Phogat, who was returning to competitive action for the first time after her quarterfinal loss at the Tokyo Olympics, had to struggle hard to win 8-7 even though Anju was leading by a point right until the final 30 seconds.
Phogat, who had lost to American ace Jacarra Winchester (a former world champion) in the semi-final at Istanbul, managed to enter the bronze-medal match where she lost to Russian opponent Ekaterina Isakova, losing by fall.
Before the Istanbul meet, Phogat had a 10-5 win against Anju at the selection trials for the 2021 World Championships. In fact, Anju wasn’t allowed to compete in the selection trials then for the Asian Championship, but the Haryana girl would now be trying her best to topple Phogat to win a ticket to this year’s Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in August in Birmingham. “Undoubtedly, Anju is a fast-emerging wrestler to challenge the top guns of the country. But the experienced Phogat is well-prepared to tackle all challenges at the trials. She is fully fit and raring to go,” a coach at the ongoing national camp said on condition of anonymity on Friday.
“Probably, at the Istanbul meet, Phogat was not fully fit, but this time she is in a great shape and she knows how to handle Anju’s challenge,” he said.
Tough contests in the other five weight categories are also likely during the trials. For instance, Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik would again be trying her luck for a place in the Indian team. A fullyfit Sonam Malik, who enjoys a hat-trick of wins against Sakshi, including once at the Tokyo Olympics team trials, would be there to challenge her again.
“It’s good that Sonam is fully fit and ready to stake claim to a berth in the team,” said another coach on Friday, adding, “Sakshi, too, is in very good shape and (has) good prospects to make it to the Indian team.”
Unlike the previous announcements made by the Wrestling Federation of India, the trials on Monday are meant to pick wrestlers only for the Commonwealth Games. Trials for the other four categories would take place almost a week later as a 10-member Indian team would be participating in the World Championships, scheduled to be held from September 10 to 18.
“The trials for the postponed Asian Games would be held separately later as the gold medallist in Monday’s trials would be participating in the CWG only,”
WFI’s assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said on Friday.
The first-choice wrestlers are scheduled to have two-month competition-cum-exposure trips starting next month ahead of the two showpiece events, including a ranking series at Almaty from June 2 to 5. Only medallists from the 2022 nationals and senior ranking series will be allowed to compete in the trials proposed in senior categories.
WFI would also hold selection trials for the U-17 cadet wrestlers on Monday in all 10 weight categories as they would compete in the Asian Championships and World Championships.
The trials for men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers will take place on Tuesday, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi in six Olympic weight categories.