Indian wrestlers aim for Olympic quotas at World Wrestling Championships 2023
The 2023 World Wrestling Championships are scheduled to be held in Belgrade, Serbia, from September 16 to 24. Top-notch wrestlers from across the world will participate in this highly competitive event.
India's challenge will be spearheaded by youngsters like Antim Panghal and Aman Sehrawat, among others. However, due to the suspension (provisional) of the WFI, Indian wrestlers will compete under the UWW (United World Wrestling) flag this time.
Nevertheless, the Indian contingent will look to secure the Olympic quotas up for grabs at the championships. Talented wrestler Antim Panghal (in women's 53kg) will be a medal contender. She recently won gold at the Under-20 World Championships.
Another strong contender is Aman Sehrawat (in men's 57kg). Not to forget, he claimed gold at the Asia Wrestling Championships 2023. Meanwhile, Sarita Mor (in women's 57kg) and Naveen Malik (in men's 74kg) will also aim for podium finishes.
Olympic quotas at stake at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships
At the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, 90 Olympic spots (across 18 weight categories) are on offer. The distribution of Paris 2024 spots will be such that the four medalists in each Olympic weight category will earn quotas.
The fifth quota place in each Olympic category will go to the winner of the match between two wrestlers who lose their bronze medal bout.
Final Indian squad for World Wrestling Championships 2023
The Indian squad finalized for the World Wrestling Championships looks promising. In the absence of big names like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, the emerging young wrestlers have a valuable chance to showcase their talent.
Men's squad
Freestyle - Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Akash Dahiya (61kg), Anuj Kumar (65kg), Abhimanyu (70kg), Naveen Malik (74kg), Sachin More (79kg), Sandeep Mann (86kg), Pruthviraj Patil (92kg), Sahil (97kg), Sumit Malik (125kg)
Greco-Roman - Ajay (55kg), Manish (60kg), Vikram (63kg), Vinayak (67kg), Ankit Gulia (72kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Sajan (82kg), Manoj Kumar (87kg), Shailesh (97kg), Mehar Singh (130kg)
Women's squad
Freestyle - Neelam Sirohi (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Neha (55kg), Sarita Mor (57kg), Anjali (59kg), Manisha Bhanwala (62kg), Antim Kundu (65kg), Priyanka (68kg), Jyoti Berwal (72kg), Divya Kakran (76kg)