Paris Quota Winning Wrestlers Ask WFI to Skip Trials – Firstpost

New Delhi: Women’s wrestlers who won quotas at the Paris Games begged the national federation on Friday not to subject them to selection trials, saying that every step they take and every little thing they do from now on will have an impact on the chances India’s medal at the Olympics. .

Anshu Malik, the first Indian female wrestler to reach the final of the Senior World Championships in 2021, said all she needs now is “mental peace” to prepare for the Games.

If selected, it will be 22-year-old Anshu’s second chance to win an Olympic medal, having competed at the Tokyo Games. She had exceeded expectations by earning a quota in the women’s 57kg category at the age of 17, but lack of experience on the big stages caused her to fall in the first round.

However, the attacking wrestler from Nidani village has made huge strides since then, winning a historic silver medal at the World Championships and four medals at the Asian Championships.

She missed the Asian Games due to a knee injury she suffered at last year’s Asian Championships and fears putting her body under pressure so close to the Games could spoil her preparation.

“We have to be very, very careful in every little thing we do. We will be careful with every step we take from now on. I have competed in a number of competitions in the recent past, international events, national championships, trials and then qualifications, so I do not need to be assessed on my fitness during trials,” Anshu told PTI from Tokyo where she is training these days.

“We need mental peace before the Olympics. Two months already is too little to prepare. At this point, every day counts. We plan our training on a weekly basis and if I am called to India for trials, it will disrupt the plans and affect the medal chances.

“I also want to go to Europe for an international training camp starting June 10 but I can’t finalize that due to the uncertainty around the trials. We need to strategize for fights with our rivals, but how will I do that if I’m preparing for the trials and not the Olympics? she asked.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) convened its selection committee on May 21 in Delhi to decide on the criteria for the trials.

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Nisha Dahiya (68kg) and Reetika Hooda (76kg) are among the five wrestlers who have earned quotas for India.

“I’m still recovering from the weight loss in qualifying, if we go through testing again it will affect our body. We need to supplement with elite wrestlers and plan well, but if we keep thinking about trials, how will we strategize,” said Nisha, who trains at Satywan. akhada in Rohtak.

“In Bishkek, I got caught in cross country (Nordic system) and I didn’t get enough points and the wrestler I beat qualified. I was almost sure I would qualify in Istanbul. I have been competing in the 68kg category for many years now, so I knew who my rivals could be and I wrote down about 20-22 rivals that I had to compete with and started watching their fights.

“I was well prepared. I expected China to win, for me China is the strongest rival, even though I beat them.

After getting the quota, Nisha did not meet her family in Panipat.

“I arrived directly at my training center from Istanbul. I didn’t want to waste time or concentrate, so I started training here. I didn’t even allow my parents to come here. We won’t see each other again until after the Olympics.”

According to the criteria explained earlier, it was said that the wrestlers who finished in the top four in the last events will compete against each other and the winner of the group will face the winner of the quota.

“It takes us about seven days to lose weight and almost as long to recover after the competition. If I have to do the procedure again, it’s a huge challenge. We should not be subjected to these ordeals,” said Reetika, whose natural weight is 81 kg.

Reetika, the country’s first U23 women’s world champion, believes Japan and Turkey will pose the biggest challenge to her at the Games.

“I’m quite confident of succeeding, although the American wrestler, who I beat in the U23 world final, is also strong. My offense is pretty good and my defense is a little weak. If I can play my attacking game, I will be a medal contender in Paris,” said Reetika, who trains under coach Mandeep in Rohtak.

Experts believe that subjecting quota winners to trials could lead to injuries.

“At this point, where everything is on the line, the wrestlers are going to pull out all the stops. This could lead to difficult fights and result in injury. This situation must be avoided,” said a coach who did not wish to be named.