Elite Indian wrestlers opt out of another international ranking series
Star Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Anshu Malik among others will miss the second ranking series this month after they decided to pull out of the upcoming Ibrahim-Moustafa tournament.
Elite Indian wrestlers are set to miss yet another ranking series this month after already pulling out of Zagreb Open earlier. Wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Punia, Anshu Malik, Sangeeta Phogat and Sangita Mor among others have once again decided to opt out of the international meet, suggesting that they are not ready yet.
The second ranking series of the year called Ibrahim-Moustafa tournament will be held in Alexandria in Egypt between February 23 and 26.
Instead, India’s hopes will rely on Greco-Roman wrestler Ashu who clinched the bronze medal in the Men's 67kg category at the 2023 Zagreb Open held in Croatia earlier this month. He will be desperate to add further ranking points to his tally with another great performance at the Ibrahim-Moustafa tournament.
On Sunday, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Oversight Committee set up by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and led by boxing legend Mary Kom decided to include him in the squad to participate in the upcoming 2nd Ranking Series of the year.
The committee has also cleared a 43-member contingent from India, which will include 27 wrestlers across both men’s and women’s categories and further weight divisions. The second ranking series in Egypt is expected to be crucial to gain ranking points for better seeding at the Senior Asian Championships 2023 and the Senior World Championships 2023.
Ashu winning the bronze medal on February 5 at the Zagreb Open ranking series was India’s second medal in that wrestling ranking series. The first medal was won by U-23 World Champion Aman Sehrawat in the men's 57kg freestyle category. Ashu defeated Lithuanian Adomas Grigaliunas (5-0) in the bronze medal playoffs match.
The Indian contingent will include nine Freestyle wrestlers, 10 Greco-Roman wrestlers, eight women wrestlers along with 16 coaches and supporting personnel. Also included among them are three wrestlers from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. They are Ashu in the 67 kg men’s Greco-Roman division, Sujeet in the 65 kg men’s Freestyle division and Bhateri in the 65 kg women’s division.
Asian championships bronze medallist Sushma Shokeen too has been included while other Greco Roman wrestlers Manjeet, Ankit Gulia, and Narinder Cheema too have found a place in the squad.
Talking about the participation of the Indian team, Olympic medallist and chairperson of the Oversight committee MC Mary Kom said, "We want to ensure that the sport and the athletes do not suffer and more and more wrestlers get international exposure, so they can have the opportunity to compete against the best in the world."
The Indian squad for the 2nd Ranking Series Ibrahim-Moustafa Tournament in Egypt:
Greco Roman: Manjeet (55 Kg), Vikram Krushnath Kurade (60 kg), Karanjeet (62 kg), Nitin (63 kg), Ashu (67 kg), Ankit Gulia (72 kg), Sajan (77kg), Rohit Dahiya (82 kg), Narinder Cheema (97 kg), Naveen (130 kg).
Women's team: Sushma Shokeen (55kg), Sito (57 kg), Simran (59 kg), Sumitra (62 kg), Bhateri (65 kg), Radhika (68 kg), Reetika (72 kg), Kiran (76 kg).
Freestyle Men: Udit (57 kg), Pankaj (61 kg), Sujeet (65 kg), Sagar Jaglan (74 kg), Pardeep (79 kg), Jonty Kumar (86 kg), Pruthviraj Patil (92 kg), Sahil (97 kg), Dinesh (125 kg)
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