Sakshi, Vinesh set for National Wrestling Championship
Some of India’s finest wrestlers are expected to participate in the domestic competition.
Rio 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat are ready to participate in the National Wrestling Championship scheduled to begin on Friday (November 29).
The competition in Jalandhar, Punjab will witness more than 500 wrestlers from the country participating in the Freestyle and Greco-Roman categories.
The Wrestling Federation of India had earlier announced that all gold medal winners from this event will be picked to represent the country at the South Asian Games which get underway in Nepal on December 1st.
Apart from Phogat (55kg) and Malik (62kg), many of Indian’s leading women’s wrestlers like Seema Bisla (50kg), Sarita More (57kg), Navjot Kaur (65kg) and Divya Kakran (68kg) are expected to take to the mat at the National Wrestling Championship.
In the men’s section, the wrestlers to watch out for will be Amit Kumar Dahiya (65kg), Gaurav Baliyan (74kg), Satyawart Kadian (97kg) and Sumit Malik (125kg).
Sakshi Malik and Vinesh set to shine
The Rio 2016 Games helped put Sakshi Malik on the wrestling map when she won a bronze medal through the repechage. However, of late, the wrestler’s has found it difficult to find consistent form.
Apart from winning a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Malik has had limited success on the international stage and suffered an early elimination at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan.
The Senior National Wrestling Championship, however, will be a good opportunity for Malik to send a reminder of her considerable talent.
Vinesh, on the other hand, suffered a knee injury which ended her Olympic dream.
The 25-year-old, however, has made a strong comeback since Rio, winning medals at several international competitions - including gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, and more recently, winning a bronze at the World Wrestling Championships.
Amit Dahiya eyes comeback
24-year-old Amit Kumar Dahiya will be making a comeback to the mat for the first time since 2015 when he suffered a horrific knee injury.
Dahiya was touted to be the next big thing in Indian wrestling after he participated in the 2012 London Games as a teenager and won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
“I am raring to go. I want to win once again and will start with the Senior National championships in Jalandhar and if everything goes well, I will be competing in the Asian Championships in February,” said Dahiya in an interview to wrestlingtv.in.
How to watch the Senior National Wrestling Championship
The Senior National Wrestling Championship will be held between November 29 and December 1. For the first time ever, the wrestling bouts will be streamed on www.wrestlingtv.in.
The draws for the Senior National Wrestling Championships are yet to be announced, so do check back for further updates.