Paris calling but can wrestlers answer?

PTI

Istanbul, May 8

The immensely-talented Aman Sehrawat and the experienced Deepak Punia will be followed keenly when they take to the mat to lock the freestyle quotas for Paris Olympics at the world qualifiers beginning here tomorrow.

It is the last event to secure spots for the Paris Games.

There were high hopes that U-23 world champion Aman would qualify for the Games either at the World Championships or the Asian qualifiers in Bishkek, but both the chances were lost.

While Aman (57kg) bumped into a strong opponent in Gulomjon Abdullaev in the quota-deciding bout in Bishkek, both Worlds silver medallists Deepak (86kg) and Sujeet Kalkal (65kg) could not reach Bishkek on time after being stuck in Dubai due to flash floods.

Now, it’s a do-or-die situation at Istanbul where the two finalists in each category will be awarded the quotas. A third quota will be given to the wrestlers who emerge winner in the bout between the two bronze medallists.

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

None of the Indian men’s wrestlers has so far won a quota and drawing a blank will be a huge embarrassment for the country that took some major strides in international wrestling before the protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh halted the progress.

Endurance has always been the strong point of the Indian wrestlers but their preparations have suffered in the absence of national camps and competitions due to the protest. Usually, the Indian wrestlers tire their opponents out but for that to happen, it is important to stretch the bout to full six minutes. It’s a strategy that Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya have employed although the latter has always been aggressive and finishes the bout in a jiffy.

“If the bouts lasts full distance, Aman can beat any wrestler, so managing the first three minutes are crucial. He was obviously very disappointed for what happened in Bishkek,” said coach Praveen Dahiya, who trained him for four years before being shifted out of Chhatrasal Stadium.

“There was no national camp for some time and because of that the sport has suffered. It has impacted the preparations adversely, then change in coaching staff also affects,” he added.

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