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A young Indian team is all set to make its mark at the wrestling world championships in the absence of big names. Star players like Anshu Malik and Sarita Mor will be followed keenly in Oslo, Norway starting Saturday.
The established Indian wrestlers like Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat have skipped the Worlds either due to an injury or lack of preparation.
In their absence, the onus will be on youngsters like Ravinder Dahiya (61kg) and Gaurav Baliyan (79kg) to shine at the Worlds. This will be the first time an all-weight wrestling world championships is being held in the same year as the Olympics. It is because Tokyo Games were postponed due to the pandemic.
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But the expectation will be high on Anshu Malik (57kg), who is the only wrestler in Oslo who competed at the Tokyo Olympics. She is carrying an elbow injury and has looked rusty since her Olympic debut. However, she is expected to do well.
The Nidani-born has been one of the most consistent wrestlers ever since her debut at senior level in 2020. She bagged a medal in five of the six international competitions.
When and where to watch Wrestling World Championships?
Freestyle wrestling kicks off the Wrestling World Championships on October 2. Women’s wrestling takes center stage at the Jordal Amfi Arena on October 4, with Greco-Roman closing out the competition in Norway beginning on October 7.
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Event timings: The bouts will begin at 10:30 am local time (2pm IST). The qualification and repechage round will be held in the morning session. The semifinals will begin at 4:30 pm local (8pm IST).
Live Streaming details: The wrestling world championships live streaming will be available on WrestlingTV.in.
India’s Wrestling World Championships squad:
Freestyle: Pankaj (57kg), Ravinder (61kg), Rohit (65kg), Sushil (70kg), Yash (74kg), Gourav Baliyan (79kg), Sandeep Singh (86kg), Pruthviraj Patil (92kg), Satyawart Kadian (97kg), Anirudh (125kg).
Women’s wrestling: Hanny Kumari (50kg), Pooja Jatt (53kg), Pinki (55kg), Anshu (57kg), Sarita (59kg), Sangeeta (62kg), Bhateri (65kg), Ritu Malik (68kg), Divya Kakran (72kg), Kiran (76kg).
Wrestling World Championships Draws
Greco Roman: Sandeep (55kg), Gyanender (60kg), Neeraj (63kg), Sajan (77kg), Harpreet Singh (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Ravi (97kg), Naveen Kumar (130kg).
