Deepak Punia in center of attention as wrestlers prepare for last chance – Firstpost

After the debacle at the Asian Olympics qualifiers, all eyes will be on World Championships silver medalist Deepak Punia as a total of 14 Indian wrestlers prepare for the World Olympics qualifiers in Istanbul , in Turkey, which begin on Thursday. Former junior world champion Punia was unable to take part in the Asian qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last month after reaching the venue following the weigh-in. Sujeet Kalkal was also denied entry for the same reason and he will also be in action in Istanbul.

The two wrestlers were later scheduled to reach the flood site in Dubai, which left them stranded at the airport.

Three wrestlers – Vinesh Phogat (50 kg), Anshu Malik (57 kg) and Reetika Hooda 76 kg) – have qualified for the Paris Olympics in Bishkek.

Antim Panghal (53 kg) also qualified for the Summer Games.

In fact, only four Indian women wrestlers have qualified so far.

Now, a total of 14 Indian wrestlers, including six each in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling and two in women’s wrestling, will aim to secure the Paris Olympics quota in the world Olympic qualifiers.

It is the last event to guarantee a place for the Paris Games.

it is a prime situation for all Indian wrestlers in Istanbul where the two finalists in each category will be awarded the quotas. A third quota will be awarded to the wrestlers who emerge victorious from the fight between the two bronze medalists.

The tournament will begin with Greco-Roman style and will be followed by women’s and freestyle on the last two days of the four-day qualifying competition.

None of the Indian wrestlers have so far secured a quota and failure would be a huge embarrassment for the country which made major strides in international wrestling before the protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, don’t stop the progress.

Endurance has always been the strong point of Indian wrestlers but their preparations have suffered due to the absence of national camps and competitions due to protests.

Usually, Indian wrestlers tire out their opponents, but for that to happen, it is important to extend the fight to a full six minutes. This is a strategy used by Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya even though the latter has always been aggressive and finishes the fight in the blink of an eye.

“If the fights go the full distance, Aman can beat any wrestler, so managing the first three minutes is crucial. He was obviously very disappointed with what happened in Bishkek,” said coach Praveen Dahiya who coached him for four years before being transferred from Chattrasal Stadium.

“There hasn’t been a national camp for some time and because of that, the sport has suffered. This had a negative impact on the preparations, and the change in the coaching staff also had an impact. The wrestler has a certain comfort and a certain listening with the coaches he trains and when they change, it affects them too, I feel,” he added.

Another wrestler in the center of attention will be Aman Sehrawat.

If Aman fails to lock in a quota, it would also mean that Tokyo Games silver medalist Ravi Dahiya would also lose a chance to compete in Paris.

It would bounce back if Aman gets the 57kg quota and the national federation decides to hold a final trial to decide who will represent the country at the Summer Games, starting July 26.

Jaidep (74 kg), Deepak (97 kg) and Sumit Malik (125 kg) also have one last chance to qualify in men’s freestyle wrestling.

Team India

Freestyle: Aman (57 kg), Sujeet (65 kg), Jaideep (74 kg), Deepak Punia (86 kg), Deepak (97 kg), Sumit (125 kg)

Women: Mansi (62 kg), Nisha (68 kg)

Greco-Roman: Sumit (60 kg), Ashu (67 kg), Vikas (77 kg), Sunil (87 kg), Nitesh (97 kg), Naveen (130 kg)

Live broadcast of World Wrestling 2024 Olympic qualifiers

The live stream will be available on the official website of United World Wrestling (UWW). There will be no live broadcast in India.

Complete schedule for World Wrestling 2024 Olympic qualifiers

May 9

Greco-Roman 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg preliminary rounds – from 12:30 p.m.

Greco-Roman 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg Paris 2024 qualifying rounds (semi-finals) – from 8:30 p.m.

May 10

Women’s freestyle wrestling: 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg preliminary rounds – from 12:30 p.m.

Greco-Roman: repechage 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg – from 12:30 p.m.

Greco-Roman: matches for the bronze medal 60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg and 130 kg – from 7:15 p.m.

Women’s freestyle wrestling: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg qualifying rounds Paris 2024 (semi-finals) – from 8:30 p.m.

Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg qualifying rounds Paris 2024 (3rd versus 3rd) – from 11:00 p.m.

May 11

Men’s freestyle wrestling: 57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg, preliminary rounds – from 12:30 p.m.

Women’s freestyle: repechage 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg – from 12:30 p.m.

Women’s freestyle wrestling: matches for the bronze medal 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg – from 7:15 p.m.

Men’s freestyle wrestling: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg qualifying rounds Paris 2024 (semi-finals) – from 8:30 p.m.

Women’s freestyle wrestling: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg qualifying rounds Paris 2024 (3rd versus 3rd) – from 11:00 p.m.

May 12

Men’s freestyle: repechage 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg – from 5:30 p.m.

Men’s freestyle wrestling: bronze medal matches 57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg – from 7:15 p.m.

Men’s freestyle wrestling: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg qualifying rounds Paris 2024 (3rd versus 3rd) – from 8:30 p.m.

With contributions from the agency