Vinesh Phogat competes in two categories in wrestling trials, stays in hunt for Paris Olympics berth

Vinesh Phogat, in an interesting development, competed in two categories in wrestling during the selection trials for the Asian Olympic qualifier and Asian Wrestling championships held in Patiala, Punjab, on Monday, March 11.

She took part in the 50 kg and 53 kg events and came up trumps in the lighter weight category. It was learned that the wrestler had asked for the 53 kg trials to take place on Tuesday, March 12. However, Phogat’s request was turned down.

Thereafter, the technical and ad-hoc committees gave Phogat a green signal to participate in both events, saying that “there is no rule which stops a wrestler from competing in two weights in a trial.”

As per Article 7 of the United World Wrestling (UWW):

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“Each contestant deemed to be taking part of his/her own free will, and responsible for himself/herself, shall be allowed to compete in only one weight category: the one corresponding to his weight at the time of the official weigh-in.”

After the conclusion of the trials, Phogat, who has mostly been in focus over her protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, said that she was unsure if the rules will be amended after the WFI takes over.

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How did Vinesh Phogat perform in trials?

In the 50 kg category, Vinesh Phogat beat Nirmala Devi, also a national champion, 10-0 in the semis. Thereafter, she got the better of Shivanee Pawar in the final, winning the match 11-6.

With the win, she also gave herself a great chance of booking her berth in the Paris Olympics to be held later this year. In the 53 kg trials, Vinesh faced a 0-10 defeat in the semi-final at the hands of Anju.

Going by the guidelines of the ad-hoc committee, Phogat stayed in contention to face Antim Panghal as a challenger for a place in Paris.

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