Indian wrestlers have delivered a medal each single time on the Olympics because the 2008 Beijing version. Success in 4 consecutive editions has enhanced the standing of wrestling as a main Olympic sport within the nation. There was success at junior degree too. The game additionally produced U23 world champions. It raised hopes of huge success in Paris. It was Sushil Kumar who modified the way in which wrestling was perceived within the nation by successful a bronze in 2008. He bettered his medal 4 years later within the London Video games, the place he fetched a silver. Whereas Yogeshwar Dutt additionally gained a bronze within the British capital.
Sakshi Malik carried ahead the development by bagging a bronze in Rio in 2016 and Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia made it a double delight within the delayed Tokyo Video games (2021).
Nevertheless, the game which was hovering excessive and was anticipated to succeed in even higher heights, was introduced all the way down to earth by the extended protests towards then Wrestling Federation of India chief by the nation’s elite wrestlers.
Nationwide camps and home competitions got here to a halt. Confusion prevailed. Nobody knew how or when normalcy would return. There have been allegations and counter-arguments. WFI elections have been held and the nationwide physique bought suspended however lastly when UWW lifted its suspension, issues started shifting.
Just one male and 5 feminine wrestlers certified for the upcoming version. There’s hope, however doubts too.
PTI takes a take a look at the power and weak spot of all of the six contenders.
AMAN SEHRAWAT (Males’s freestyle 50kg)
Along with his regular progress, Aman did what was unthinkable: changing Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya, probably the most formidable Indian wrestler, within the males’s 57kg weight division. Aman’s greatest power is his stamina and endurance. If the bout lasts six minutes, it will likely be troublesome to beat him.
Nevertheless, what is missing in his sport is restricted technique and approach. It was evident when he was pitted towards Rei Higuchi within the Rating Sequence occasion in Hungary. He didn’t appear to have a plan B. At this stage, planing towards every rival is essential.
His greatest threats are Higuchi and Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev.
VINESH PHOGAT (Girls’s 50kg)
No doubt, Vinesh Phogat is one the very best girl wrestlers that India has produced. A strong defence and equally spectacular assault are her strengths.
Nevertheless, what may bother her is lack of high quality mat time towards prime wrestlers within the final 12 months or so.
Reducing the load class to 50kg means extra stress on her physique. Reducing the load reduce forward of the bout is a painful course of, it sucks the vitality out of the physique and hers is an ageing physique. She is sort of 30. Her pure physique weight is about 55-56kg. A lot would rely on how Vinesh copes with it.
Within the current Grand Prix of Spain, the load rest was 2kg however that will not be the case in Paris.
ANTIM PANGHAL (Girls’s 53kg)
The firebrand wrestler from Hisar was first to lock a Paris Olympics quota. She additionally challenged Vinesh for a trial along with her when the protest controversy was at its peak.
Her greatest power is flexibility that enables her to wriggle out of her rivals’ grip fairly simply. It is troublesome to entice her. She has the spark and hearth.
Nevertheless, she has not competed because the Asian Video games. A again harm pressured her to overlook the Asian Championship this 12 months. The shortage of mat time and aggressive motion may show to be her bane.
ANSHU MALIK (Girls’s 57kg)
Anshu’s profession graph has probably not taken off the way in which it was anticipated after her exploits on the junior circuit and the graceful transition to senior occasions. Accidents have troubled her and et she is without doubt one of the greatest bets in Paris for India.
Fast motion on the mat to go along with an aggressive sport model is Anshu’s greatest power. She additionally has the expertise of competing on the Olympics. She was not prepared for the massive stage in Tokyo as a teen however now has a good concept what’s required in such a extremely aggressive area.
Her health, although, is a worrying side as she enters the Olympics with a suspected shoulder harm. She claims it is only a neck spasm however she has not been examined.
NISHA DAHIYA (Girls’s 68kg)
Away from the limelight, Nisha Dahiya has quietly made her method into Paris Video games. She had proven promise early however accidents has halted her ascent. Reported lifeless wrongly in 2021, Nisha has managed to shock high quality rivals along with her aggressive sport model.
She is seasoned and her fearless method is her greatest power. Not having the publicity of competing at massive occasions persistently is her weak spot aside from shedding steam within the fifth-sixth minute of the bout.
She tends to pour out the whole lot within the first 4 minutes of her bouts and if an up-and-down bout lasts the space, she provides away factors simply. Dealing with nerves on debut may even be key.
REETIKA HOODA (Girls’s 76kg)
Reetika has the potential to shock her rivals. She will not be precisely unknown within the circuit however can show to be a troublesome nut to crack even for knowledgeable wrestlers resulting from her explosive power.
She has energy and approach however has the behavior to concede factors within the final 30 seconds of the bout. Even when she builds a lead, she will be able to find yourself shedding these factors. In all probability shedding focus within the fag finish of bouts is her weak spot.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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