The Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 will take place from April 11 to 16 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, which is all set to host the tournament after a gap of six years. A total of 366 wrestlers will be competing at the event across 30 weight classes.
The tournament sees 13 returning champions competing for the prize. Freestyle has four returning championships, Women's Wrestling has two and Greco-Roman has seven. Japan, who has been a dominant force in the competition, over the years, has, once again, sent a strong team, led by Yui Susaki.
Notably, four out of the six wrestlers competing in the women’s events will be taking part in the Paris Olympics. As far as the hosts are concerned, world champions Akzol Makhmudov (KGZ) and Aisuluu Tynybekova (KGZ) would be looking to no less than winning the silverware in their respective weight classes.
Defending champions at the Asian Wrestling Championship, Akhmed Tazhudinov (BRN) will be competing at the 97kg event. He would be keen to claim his second consecutive gold in the tournament.
Speaking of Team India, Antim Panghal, world wrestling bronze medallist, has withdrawn from the competition. Anju, the U23 world championships medallist from 2021, has replaced her and will be competing at the 53kg event.
Besides, the likes of Shivani Pawar, Tamanna, and Sarita will look to win gold in the 50kg, 55kg, and 57kg events, respectively. Harshita Mor, the bronze medal winner in the under-20 wrestling championship, will be competing in the 72kg event.
Akash Dahiya (61 kg) will spearhead the men’s category in the freestyle category. The likes of Sandeep Mann (86kg) and Yash (79kg) would look to showcase their mettle in some of the toughest categories.
Complete list of Indian wrestlers competing at the Asian Wrestling Championships:
Freestyle (Men’s)
57kg - Udit
61kg - Akash Dahiya
65kg - Rohit
70kg - Abhimanyu
74kg - Yash
79kg - Parvinder Singh
86kg - Sandeep Mann
92kg - Vinay
97kg - Vicky
125kg - Anirudh Kumar
Freestyle (Women’s)
50kg - Shivani Pawar
53kg - Anju
55kg - Tamanna
57kg - Sarita
59kg - Pushpa Yadav
62kg - Manisha
65kg - Antim
68kg - Radhika
72kg - Harshita
76kg - Priya
Greco-Roman
55kg - Arjun Halakurki
60kg - Pravesh
63kg - Umesh
67kg - Vinayak Patil
72kg - Ankit Gulia
77kg - Sajan
82kg - Rohit Dahiya
87kg - Ajay
97kg - Narinder Cheema
130kg - Mehar Singh