Explained: Why Tokyo Olympics seeding is good news for India's Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia
Out of the seven Indian wrestlers headed to the Tokyo Olympics, four have been seeded by United World Wrestling (UWW). Vinesh Phogat topped the 53 kg women’s weight division while Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia were seeded in the top three in 65 kg and 86 kg respectively. Ravi Dahiya ranked fourth in the 57 kg.
The higher seeding comes as good news as it has improved their chances of winning a medal at the Summer Games.
How will higher seeding help Indian wrestlers at Tokyo Olympics?
Wrestlers with a top-four finish in each weight category get a seeding at the Olympics. This helps them avoid facing tougher opponents earlier in the competition.
Bajrang, who is seeded second behind Russia’s world champion Gadhzimurad Rashidov, feels the seeding will play an important role at the Tokyo Olympics.
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“Seeding will be crucial for the Games. The top-four seeding will help us in getting a favorable draw in Tokyo,” he told Sportskeeda.
The three-time world medalist will face stiff competition from the likes of Rashidov, Takuto Otoguro (Japan), Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) and Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan).
Notably, barring Otoguro, who is seeded fifth, the other three are in the top seedings for the Tokyo Olympics.
Vinesh Phogat to avoid Mayu Mukaida in early rounds of Tokyo Olympics
Vinesh Phogat grabbed the top seed for the Tokyo Olympics as the majority of top wrestlers in the 53 kg skipped the Poland Open rankings series.
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It comes as good news for the Indian wrestler, given her history with Mayu Mukaida. The Japanese wrestler has been Vinesh’s Achilles heel since 2019. In three encounters, Mukaida has pipped the Indian wrestler every time.
But at the Tokyo Olympics, the two are likely to be in different groups. Although Mukaida finished third, she will be promoted to second as North Korea’s Pak Yong Mi will not compete at the Games.
Other heavyweights in the 53 kg category are Maria Prevolaraka (Greece), Pang Qianyu (China), Sofia Mattson (Sweden) and Jacarra Winchester (USA).
What about other Tokyo Olympic-bound Indian wrestlers?
Deepak Punia is seeded second in the 86kg behind Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani (Iran). Ravi Dahiya is the fourth seed in 57 kg.
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However, Seema Bisla (50 kg), Anshu Malik (57 kg), and Sonam Malik (62kg) are unseeded.