Narsingh Yadav to contest in 79kg at selection trials for Wrestling World Championship
Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav will be contesting at the Wrestling World Championships selection trials slated for August 31 in New Delhi. He will be contesting for the spot in the 79kg bracket instead of his usual 74kg weight category.
Narsingh Yadav told Sportskeeda:
“I had sent a request to WFI to allow me to participate in the trials. I am glad they accepted it. I’ll be competing in the 79kg weight category.”
As per the guidelines, only 2020 national medal winners were eligible to take part in the trials. However, they made a few exceptions for those who finished at the podiums in international competitions.
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WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said Narsingh Yadav deserved an opportunity based on his performance at the Asian Championships held in Kazakhstan earlier in April.
“He won a bronze medal. So, when we got his request, we had no problem in accepting it as he did well in Kazakhstan,” Tomar said.
The federation has also allowed cadets and junior world medalists to take part in the tryouts, which will be held at Indira Gandhi Stadium.
Narsingh Yadav aiming for redemption
If Narsingh Yadav qualifies, this will be his first world championship in six years. The 31-year-old wrestler last participated in the Las Vegas Worlds in 2015 where he won bronze.
However, he was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing a dope test just before the Games. Narsingh Yadav completed the ban last year but could not win the national trials for a shot at the Tokyo Olympics.
The world championships, which will be held in Oslo, Norway between October 2 and 10 will be a good testing ground for him. Naringh Yadav is aiming for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
“We are now aiming for the 2022 CWG in Birmingham, England and Asian Games in Hangzhou, China,” his coach Jagmal Singh said.
Narsingh Yadav has already won medals at both the competitions. He won gold at the 2010 CWG held in New Delhi, while a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games.