Tokyo-Olympic bound wrestlers Ravi Dahiya, Vinesh Phogat lead charge for India in the Poland World Ranking Series
The Olympic-bound Indian wrestlers were dealt with a huge blow when the national camps for the men’s and women’s grapplers in Sonepat and Lucknow were suspended by SAI (Sports Authority of India) owing to the surge in Covid-19 cases. So, by the second week of April, all the wrestlers were out of action.
The WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) later sent a proposal to the authorities to conduct camps for Olympic-bound grapplers. However, the offer was rejected.
Gauging the situation with the showpiece event inching closer each day, the governing body decided to shift the training base of the wrestlers to Warsaw, Poland ahead of the mega-event.
The contingent is likely to train in Poland until July 5, while the federation is also looking into the possibility of conducting a camp in Romania following that.
The wrestlers will also feature in the Poland World Ranking Series in Warsaw from June 8-13 as part of their preparations and possibly the last major tournament ahead of the Olympics.
Also Read: Tokyo Olympics: From Bajrang Punia to Vinesh Phogat - a look at India's biggest medal hopes in wrestling
The wrestlers are set to assemble in New Delhi before taking the flight to Poland. As per reports, the contingent should get their visas on June 4 and leave for the tour on June 5.
“The wrestlers will get their visas on June 4 and will leave for Poland the next day. The current plan is for them to train in Poland until July 5. We are also trying to explore the possibility of them having a camp in Romania after that,” said WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.
Eight Indian wrestlers have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics so far, that includes four male and an equal number of female contestants.
India’s squad for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics:
Men: Ravi Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Sumit Malik (125kg)
Women: Seema Bisla (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Sonam Malik (62kg),
Bajrang Punia set to skip upcoming event
One of India’s brightest medal prospects, Bajrang Punia (57kg) will give the Polish World Ranking Series a miss; rather he will travel to Russia for a training stint ahead of the Games.
The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist feels that he needs more time on the mat than earning ranking points, to make up for the valuable game time lost owing to the Covid-19 restrictions.
"Before Olympics, I need more training. The last 18 months have been tough. There were neither competitions nor training camps outside. It became a huge challenge to get sparring partners. Staying fit was also a challenge,” said Bajrang Punia, during an interaction with SAI.
Bajrang Punia will be accompanied by his Georgian coach Shakho Bentidinis during his stay in Europe. Bajrang is expected to brush shoulders with quality sparring partners in Russia, which includes world and Olympic champions.
Meanwhile, Ravi Dahiya (57kg), Deepak Punia (86kg) and Sumit Malik (125kg) are all set to feature in the upcoming event. Sumit, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by virtue of claiming a silver medal at the 2021 Asian Championships, recently returned to the mat after recovering from a knee injury.
However, in the women’s section, only Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Anshu Malik (57kg) will participate in the tournament. Vinesh, who shifted her training base to Budapest, will fly directly to Poland for the event. She will return back to Hungary once the competition is over and continue training there till July 3.
The other two women grapplers that are part of India’s Olympic contingent – Seema Bisla (50kg) and Sonam Malik (62kg) will skip the tour due to injuries.
India’s squad for the Polish Ranking Series:
Men: Bajrang Punia (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Sumit Malik (125kg)
Women: Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg)