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2022-09-29 11:08

World Ch'ship to offer fewer quotas for Paris Games, World Qualifier gets more: UWW

New Delhi, Sep 28 (Wrestling News) The 2023 World Wrestling Championship will offer five quota places for the 2024 Olympics in each of the 18 weight categories instead of six as UWW on Wednesday announced changes to the qualification process for the Paris Games.

The World Championship, set to be held in Russia from September 16-24, will be the first qualifying event for the Paris Games. Apart from the 2023 World Championship, the continental qualifiers (Asia, Africa, America, European) 2024, and the 2024 World Olympics Qualifiers will also offer quota for the Games.

Earlier, 108 quotas were awarded at the World Championships (six per Olympic weight) but now 90 quota places will be on offer.

The first six (6) highest placed athletes in each of the 18 Olympic weight categories at the 2019 Senior World Championships were awarded quotas for the Tokyo Games.

However, only top-5 wrestlers will earn quotas for their countries in Russia. It means that all four medallists (gold, silver and two bronze winners) will secure the quota for their respective nations and the two bronze medal play-offs losers will contest for the fifth spot.

United World Wrestling (UWW) President Nenad Lalovic said, the changes are aimed at creating "further fairness in the distribution between the World Championships and the World Qualifier." A total of 144 wrestlers will qualify for the Paris Games through the continental qualifying events (Asian, African, Pan-American and European). The top two wrestlers in each Olympic weight class will get one spot each for their NOCs.

The quota winners at the 2023 World Championship will not be eligible to participate in the continental qualifiers unless they participate in a different style.

At the World Olympic Qualifiers, three quotas in each Olympic weight class instead of the two previously will be at stake.

Not just the gold and silver medal winners will secure quotas but the bronze medal winners will also get a chance to earn quota.

The bronze winners will fight it out for the quota in each of the 18 categories.

Unused quotas due to withdrawal, doping offence, or non-participation, will be transferred to the next best wrestler of that weight category of the tournament.

The deadline for the Olympic Games entries will be July 8, 2024. The wrestling competition will be held from August 4-11.

Also Read : World C'ships: Bajrang Punia losses in quarterfinals, Sagar Jaglan to fight for bronze

News Source : PTi

2022-08-06 19:20

Intimidating Vinesh Phogat in line for CWG gold, Ravi Dahiya eases into final

Birmingham, Aug 6 (Wrestling News) Putting aside the mental and physical struggles that pegged her back, an intimidating Vinesh Phogat pounced on her rivals to put herself in line for a hat-trick of CWG gold medals while the formidable Ravi Dahiya too cruised into the final, here on Saturday.

In what was expected to be a tough opener against world championship bronze medallist Samantha Leigh Stewart, Vinesh reduced it to a no contest and finished it in mere 36 seconds.

Vinesh had the Canadian in a head lock from where she pushed her on the match and in no time pinned her rival.

Even before people could warm up to the contest, it was all over.

Next up for the 27-year-old Vinesh was Nigeria's Mercy Bolafunoluwa Adekuoroye, who tried to resist a bit but soon the Indian had her in an iron grip. Vinesh kept her in that position for more than a minute in a magnificent show of power.

With only four wrestlers in the women's 53kg draw, Vinesh now needs to beat Sri Lanka's Chamodya Keshani Maduravlage Don to win her third successive gold.

Vinesh has been struggling for form and fitness ever since her defeat at the Tokyo Games, where she made a shock first-round exit after entering the field as the hot favourite for the gold medal.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Kaumar Dahiya was also too good for his field. He won both his bouts -- against Suraj Singh of New Zealand and Pakistan's Asad Ali -- by technical superiority.

He will face Nigeria's Ebikewenimo Welson for his maiden CWG gold.

Also fighting for gold is Naveen (74kg), who began with TSU wins over Nigeria's Ogbonna Emmanuel John, Singapore's Hong Yeow Lou and England's Charlie James Bowling.

He will next fight it out with Pakistan's Tahir Muhammad Sharif.

In women's 50kg, Pooja Sihag made a confident start with a TSU win over Scotland's Christelle Lemofack Letchidjio and then got a walk over from Cameron's Rebecca Ndolo Muambo to make the semifinal stage with ease.

However, she lost the last-four clash 6-9 to Canada's Madison Bianca Parks and will fight for bronze against the Scottish player. Since only six wrestlers featured in this category, it was competed in Nordic style where all wrestlers, divided into two groups, competed once against each other.

In men's freestyle 97kg, Deepak will also fight for bronze. He will clash with Pakistan's Tayab Raza.

India have already won six medals in wrestling, including three gold.

Also Read : From crisis of confidence to CWG gold, Sakshi Malik turns a corner

News Source : PTI

2022-08-06 18:42

From crisis of confidence to CWG gold, Sakshi Malik turns a corner

Birmingham, Aug 6 (Wrestling News) If she had not topped the wrestling trials for the Commonwealth Games, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik could not have overcome the 'crisis of confidence' she was experiencing over the last two years.

She also strongly thought about retirement.

The demons in her mind were understandable as she was losing to her juniors in the domestic circuit and had not done much of notice since getting that historic bronze in Rio Olympics six years ago.

The 29-year-old somehow managed to beat Sonam Malik to top the 62kg trials after losing to the youngster a number of times and made the India squad for the Birmingham Games.

That was the moment when Sakshi started to get her confidence back and also paved the way for a gold medal winning performance here on Friday. Making hand written notes of her thoughts after sessions with psychologists also helped immensely.

"My confidence was down for a while. My coaches told me I was the fittest among seniors and juniors and had all the power.

"I used to wonder what was wrong with me. Whether it was bad luck. I won the trials (in May) and from then I started to feel confident about my game," said Sakshi after bouncing back from 0-4 to pin Canada's And Godinez Gonzalez.

She called the gold medal finish her biggest result since the Rio Games.

"I had not won gold in CWG (she had won silver and bronze earlier). I wanted to fight till the end to get that gold. Even when I was 0-4 down, it did not bother me. I had won bouts with seconds left in the Olympics, here I had three minutes left," she said referring to her double leg move that settled the contest.

"I have been wrestling for 18 years, I can do this in my sleep as well. I am so used to it that it comes subconsciously to me." "It's a kind of comeback for me since I had not done anything in last year. Now I feel I am strongest in my weight category. In coming times I will compete in Asian Games and try to win medal," she said.

'Crisis of confidence and how she fought it' ================================== With the medal in the bag, Sakshi has managed to turn it around but in February when Jitender Yadav joined as the women's national coach, she was down in the dumps.

Yadav said self doubt had crept into Sakshi's mind and she pinned all her hopes on the trials.

"She surely had a crisis of confidence. It was psychological and nothing else. She thought she was weak and that brought her confidence down.

"She was not performing even in nationals so there was surely a big crisis. There was also fear of failure." Yadav felt she needed to change her training regime.

"She used to train with heavyweight partners, I switched it to lightweight partners to help her movement.

"She is the most powerful among the lot and most disciplined. Before the trials she said 'if I don't get selected I will pack my bags and go home'.

"It was my responsibility to get her out of that zone. I told her 'you will not go back, you will rather get gold for India'." She did keep the promise.

Also Read : Priayanka Goswami clinches silver in women's 10,000m race walk

News Source : PTI

2022-08-06 08:04

Bajrang Punia defends title, Sakshi reverses losing trend to earn maiden CWG gold

Birmingham, Aug 5 (Wresting News) Bajrang Punia was a class apart while defending his title before Sakshi Malik produced a sensational gold medal winning effort as Indian wrestlers grabbed five medals, including three gold, at the Commonwealth Games here on Friday.

Deepak Punia (86kg) also contributed in swelling India's medal tally by winning the men's free style gold but birthday girl Anshu Malik (57kg) had to be content with a silver medal in her maiden CWG appearance.

Divya Kakran clinched a bronze in 68kg, winning the medal play-off in just 26 seconds against Tonga's Tiger Lily.

Courtesy three golds, India moved to fifth position in the medal tally ahead of Scotland. Such was Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang's dominance in the 65kg competition that he won three of his four bouts inside first rounds.

The 28-year-old defending champion beat Naurau's Lowe Bingham and Mauritius' Jean Guyliane Joris Bandou 'by fall' before winning by technical superiority against England's Geroge Ramm.

Canada's Lachlan Maurice McNeil fought well against Bajrang but the Indian was far superior in technique and stamina as he won the bout 9-2.

Bajrang has been struggling to play freely since last year and his over defensive tactics put a question-mark over his ability to extend his dominance in international arena but on Friday he made his moves without inhibition.

However, the CWG is not the best platform to judge if Bajrang has got his mojo back because of the inferior field quality.

Sakshi reverses trend, wins after trailing ========================= For Sakshi, who has been battling for relevance for long, it was an ideal opportunity to get some confidence back and she used it to optimum level in the 62kg contest by winning her maiden CWG gold.

She began by pinning home team wrestler Kelsey Barnes and followed that with a technical superiority win against Cameroon's Berthe Emilienne.

In the final against Ana Paula Godinez Gonzalez, Sakshi trailed 0-4 after the Canadian scored on counter-attack. Sakshi's right leg attack got wrong as she lost position, allowing her rival to complete a take down move.

The U-23 World champion effected another take down to go into the break with a 4-0 lead.

Sakshi, who of late, has been seen succumbing to pressure reversed the trend this time as she initiated a right leg attack to throw the Canadian on the mat.

From there she used power to pin Gonzalez, turning the table on her rival in a sensational manner. She had won a bronze in 2018 in Gold Coast and a silver in 2014 Glasgow Games.

Deepak Punia grabs gold for loss of just one point ============================= Deepak Punia (86kg) was calculative in his bouts and finished on top of the podium without losing a single point.

The wrestler from Chhara village began with technical superiority win over Matthew Clay Oxenham from New Zealand and beat Canada's Alexander Moore 3-1, setting up the gold medal bout against Pakistan's Muhammad Inam.

The 23-year-old Indian had better stamina and outlasted Inam 3-0. His first point was from a push out while the second came on passivity of the Pakistani.

There were no big moves in the bout as Inam had lost steam by the second round. Deepak completed his win with another push out point.

Anshu gets silver on birthday ================== Anshu, who has taken rapid strides in her career, reached the women's 57kg final with similar dominance but ended up second-best with a silver medal.

The Nidani wrestler, who turned 21 on Friday, won by technical superiority against Australia's Irene Symeonidis and Sri Lanka's Nethmi Ahinsa Fernando Poruthotage.

It did not take Anshu much time to measure her opponents. Her trademark aggression and quality was too hot to handle for her rivals till the gold medal bout.

The World Championship silver medallist though could not breach the defence of Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, losing the gold bout 3-7. The Nigerian was strong with her defence and Anshu could not find a way to make her moves.

She left mat with tears in her eyes as it was not the birthday present she wanted to give herself.

Divya Kakran takes bronze ================= Divya had got a tough 68kg draw as she found Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and 11-time African champion Blessing Oborududu from Nigeria in her campaign-opener.

The first round was worth a final though but Divya was outplayed by the formidable Nigerian. The Asian Games bronze medallist won her repechage round against Blandine Nyeh Ngiri by fall.

Also fighting for bronze will be Mohit Grewal (125kg), who won against Cyprus' Alexios Kaouslidis 10-1 but lost in the semifinal to Canada's Amarveer Dhesi by technical superiority.

He is up against Jamaica's Aaron Anthony Johnson.

Also Read : Bajrang moves to quarterfinals with dominating 'by fall' win over Bingham

News Source : PTI

2022-07-25 17:37

CWG: Rejuvenated Jeremy wants gold at “biggest competition” since Youth Olympics

New Delhi, Jul 25 (Wrestling News) Missing out on the Tokyo Olympics last year made him realise that the transition from junior to senior level is not easy, says Youth Olympic champion weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga as he aims to clinch the coveted gold at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

After a torrid year that saw him suffer two injuries and contract the dreaded COVID-19 virus, Jeremy is all rejuvenated and prepared to do what it takes to succeed at the senior level, starting with the multi-sport event at Birmingham.

“It’s my first CWG and I’m feeling great. After the Youth Olympics this is going to be the biggest competition for me after four years as I had missed out on the Olympics,” Jeremy, who competes in the 67kg category, told PTI.

Jeremy had burst into the scene in 2018 when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

The Mizoram lifter was touted as one for the future in the sport but while he managed to shatter youth world records, Jeremy’s performance a the senior level has left a lot to be desired.

"I understood that I have to work much harder because the total that I was lifting was not good enough. It also made me realise how tough Olympics is from junior to senior.” The past one year has been a tough one for the 19-year-old. At the Asian Championships he finished a disappointing eight.

It was later revealed that he had some problem in his knee, which also affected his performance at the junior World Championships.

“There was a problem in my tendon in my knee. Water filled up behind my knee. I had to undergo surgery for that.” His below-par Asian Championship outing also cost him a place in the Olympic Games. His wretched luck continued as a a couple of weeks before the World Championships, he developed severe back ache. However, he managed to finish fourth.

“There was a problem near my spine, upper back but then also I competed at the world championships.” To make matters worse, the teenager contracted COVID-19 at the fag end of last year.

“I got COVID-19 on December 31. I had throat pain and fever. After that my body weight came down to 63-62kg, it was a difficult time.

“I struggled to recover. I was in quarantine alone for 15 days,” said the jovial lifter.

The time away from training helped him reset, reflect on his training and assess his goals.

“I got time to think and now I want to do well at the CWG. I will definitely look attempt to go beyond my personal best.” Talha Talib was to be Jeremy’s biggest competitor for the CWG title but the Paksitani lifter will miss the CWG as he faces doping sanctions.

“Yes, it’s good for me. But it is unfortunate that he was involved in doping. I feel sad for him, his four years are gone now. He shoudn't have done it.”

Also Read : Weak CWG field is perfect opportunity for Vinesh and Sakshi to regain lost touch

News Source : PTI

2022-07-20 14:49

Weak CWG field is perfect opportunity for Vinesh and Sakshi to regain lost touch

New Delhi, Jul 20 (Wrestling News) The relatively weaker field at the Commonwealth Games will be an ideal opportunity for a struggling Vinesh Phogat to regain her confidence while a desperate Sakshi Malik would search for relevance, even as most Indian wrestlers are expected to pierce through the draws.

The CWG will be important not only for Vinesh and Sakshi but also for Bajrang Punia, who has been a bit iffy about his attacking prowess since suffering a mind-unsettling and doubt-creating knee injury ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

He recently underwent a few medical tests, and the results restored his confidence that his body is not in danger of breaking down, if pushed. He can afford to go all out at the CWG, where wrestling powerhouses like Iran, Russia, Japan and Kazakhstan do not compete.

Only Canadian and Nigerian wrestlers can put up some serious challenge before the Indians, who have been dominating this quadrennial event for years now.

The 28-year-old Bajrang would like to get that element of attack back in his game. His biggest strength has always been his immense stamina. He keeps a lot in his tank and has literally ruled the latter half of the bouts with his enviable endurance. Vinesh was one of the most dominant forces in the wrestling world before the Tokyo Games and her fortunes have only nosedived since her shock medal-less exit from the Japanese capital.

Much to the surprise and disappointment of keen observers of the sport, Vinesh, of late, is even struggling to go past her compatriots. This was something unthinkable before the Tokyo Olympics, where she had gone as one of the hot favourites for a medal.

Her struggles with the mental side of the game and the run-ins with the establishment after the Tokyo Games took a toll and made it a complex and tough journey back to normalcy.

The CWG can be the platform which gives Vinesh her confidence and rhythm back. A good result will certainly boost her morale and give the belief that she can still be the force that her rivals across the globe were always wary of.

Not much time is left for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and sooner Vinesh starts to believe in her ability, the better for her.

Similarly, the CWG will be crucial for Sakshi, whose struggles seemed to be never-ending until she found her lost confidence back after sessions with a psychologist. She finally managed to beat Sonam Malik in the CWG trials in the semifinals after losing four straight bouts to the young wrestler.

She also beat Manisha in the final to claim the 62kg berth, having lost to the same wrestler for the Asian Championship trials.

Sakshi is not just defending anymore. She is looking to dominate, score points, and finish her bouts quickly, and these are good signs.

The 29-year-old has not got any major results since her Rio Olympic bronze medal wining feat and by grabbing a medal at a multi-discipline sporting event like the CWG, she can make a comeback.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg) is such a class wrestler that at the CWG level, he can win with even one leg and one arm. He would not need his 'A' game to defeat wrestlers from nations that are not traditionally strong in this sport.

It should not be a tough task for Deepak Punia (86kg) too, but he needs to take care of his body as he has been pulling out of competitions very often due to injuries.

For Naveen (74kg), Deepak (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg) also, it is a good opportunity to get a big-event medal.

In the women's event, Anshu Malik too has been dealing with a few niggles, but she is so talented that it will be a surprise if she does not return with a gold medal. Ever since she started competing on the senior circuit, Anshu's transition has been remarkable.

Her technique, power and most importantly, the self belief has been key to her quick success. There is no doubt that she is the one for the future.

A world championship silver medal last year raised her stature in Indian wrestling immensely.

Divya Kakran (68kg) is another wrestler who is expected to dominate the field at the CWG while Pooja Gehlot (50kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg) will be contenders in their respective weight categories.

For the record, India had finished at the top in the wrestling tally with 12 medals, including 5 gold, in the 2018 edition in Gold Coast. In 2014, the team finished second behind Canada.

In 2010, the team won 19 medals to claim the top spot.

Indian Squad: Men's Freestyle: Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Naveen (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg).

Women's team: Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg) Anshu Malik (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Divya Kakran (68kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg).

Wrestling events to start from August 5.

Also Read : Bajrang Punia obtains UK visa, will travel to US for training ahead of CWG

News Source : PTI

Wrestling News

World Ch'ship to offer fewer quotas for Paris Games, World Qualifier gets more: UWW

World C'ships: Bajrang Punia losses in quarterfinals, Sagar Jaglan to fight for bronze

Wrestling Worlds: Olympic medallist Ravi Dahiya out of medal contention

Wrestler Nisha Dahiya loses bronze medal bout in World Championships

Vinesh Phogat wins bronze in World Wrestling C'ships

World championships: Vinesh loses 0-7 in qualification

Confident of winning World C'ship gold, says wrestler Ravi Dahiya

Bajrang, Vinesh named in Indian wrestling squad for World Senior C'ships

Intimidating Vinesh Phogat in line for CWG gold, Ravi Dahiya eases into final

From crisis of confidence to CWG gold, Sakshi Malik turns a corner

Bajrang Punia defends title, Sakshi reverses losing trend to earn maiden CWG gold

Bajrang moves to quarterfinals with dominating 'by fall' win over Bingham

CWG: Rejuvenated Jeremy wants gold at “biggest competition” since Youth Olympics

Weak CWG field is perfect opportunity for Vinesh and Sakshi to regain lost touch

Bajrang Punia obtains UK visa, will travel to US for training ahead of CWG

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