Indian wrestlers to have a shot at history at the Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics is a ripe moment for Indian wrestlers to create history like never before. 8 wrestlers have made the cut for now, with 4 in each discipline. Following are the wrestlers who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics -
1) Ravi Kumar Dahiya - Men's Freestyle 57 kg.
2) Bajrang Punia - Men's Freestyle 65 kg.
3) Deepak Punia - Men's Freestyle 86 kg.
4) Sumit Malik - Men's Freestyle 125 kg.
5) Seema Bisla - Women's Freestyle 50 kg.
6) Vinesh Phogat - Women's Freestyle 53 kg.
7) Anshu Malik - Women's Freestyle 57 kg.
8) Sonam Malik - Women's Freestyle 62 kg.
Wrestling is one of the few sports to have never returned empty handed since Beijing 2008. However, with 8 pahalwans in the fray, the time is ripe to create history. Since Sushil Kumar's bronze in Beijing in 2008, Indian wrestling has never looked back.
Individually, wrestling is only next to field hockey in terms of medals won for India. With 1 silver and 4 bronze medals, amateur wrestling is held in high esteem in India. It is also culturally and esthetically significant as well. However, there is no senior pro to guide the exuberant youth this time.
With no more Sushil or Yogeshwar to lead the brigade, it is time for the young guns to take charge. Interestingly, we have not one, but multiple wrestlers, who have the potential to bring back a historic Olympic gold.
Assessing the Indian wrestlers' potential at the Tokyo Olympics
On one hand, you have Bajrang Punia, who is the apple of India's eye. Then we have Ravi Kumar Dahiya, who surprised everyone with his bronze medal from the 2019 World Championships.
There is Vinesh Phogat, who is raring to go and add the coveted Olympic medal to the Phogat medal collection. Apart from that, there are dark horses like Deepak Punia, Sumit Malik and Sonam Malik, who are raring to go. Here is a look at their potential for the Tokyo Olympics.