New Delhi: Paris Games quota-winning women wrestlers on Friday requested the national federation not to subject them to selection trials and said every step they take and every little thing they do from now on will impact India's medal chances. Will have to. It has to be done. Olympics.
Anshu Malik, India's first 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 shot at an Olympic medal after competing at the Tokyo Games. At the age of 17, she had exceeded expectations by securing a quota place in the women's 57 kg category, but due to lack of big stage experience, she was eliminated in the first round.However, the attacking wrestler from Nidani village has made tremendous progress since then, winning a historic world silver and four Asian Championship medals. She was unable to participate in the Asian Games due to a knee injury suffered during the Asian Championships last year and was afraid that she would be pressured. So close to the games the body can spoil its preparation.
“We have to be very, very careful in every little thing we do. We're cautious in every step we take from here.I have participated in many competitions recently, in international competitions, national competitions and trials after qualifiers, so I don't need to evaluate fitness through trials,” Anshu said from Tokyo, where he is Taking training these days.
“We need mental peace before the Olympics. Two months is already very little time for preparation. At this stage, every single day counts. We plan our training on a weekly basis and if I am called to India for trials, it will disrupt the planning and affect my medal chances.“I also want to go to Europe for an international training camp from June 10, but due to uncertainty about the trials, I cannot finalize it. We need to make strategies for competitions with rivals, but if I If I prepare for this, how will I do it for the trials and not for the Olympics?" He asked.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has called a meeting of its selection committee in Delhi on May 21 to decide the trial criteria.
Nisha Dahiya (68kg) and Ritika Hooda (76kg) are among the five women wrestlers who have secured quotas for India. "I am still recovering from the weight cut in the qualifiers, if we go through the trials again So it will affect our body.We have to cater to specific wrestlers and need to plan well, but if trials happen we will keep thinking about it, how will we strategise,” said Nisha, who trains at Satyavan's Akhara in Rohtak. In 2017, I got stuck in crossing (Nordic system) and I didn't get enough points and the wrestler I beat qualified. I was confident that I would qualify in Istanbul. I have been competing in 68 kg for many years. So I got to know who my opponents could be and I wrote down about 20-22 opponents with whom I was expected to clash and started watching their matches."I was well prepared. I expected China to win, for me China is the strongest opponent, although I have defeated them."
Nisha hasn't met her family in Panipat after securing the quota."I came straight to my training center from Istanbul. I didn't want to waste time and focus, so started training here. I also convinced my parents to come here. Not allowed.Now we will meet only after the Olympics."
As per the criteria mentioned earlier, it was said that the wrestlers who finished in the top four in the final trials would compete against each other and the group winners would take on the quota winners. Ritika, who has a natural body, said, "It takes us about seven days to lose weight and about the same amount of time to recover after the competition. If I have to start the process again, we won't have to go through the tests." Weight is 81 kg.
Ritika, the country's first U23 women's world champion, feels that Japan and Turkey will present the biggest challenge for her in the Games."I am confident of a good performance, although the USA wrestler, whom I defeated in the U23 World Finals, is also strong. My attack is quite good and the defense is a bit weak. If I can play my attacking game, I will win a medal." I am a contender for Paris,” said Ritika, who trains under coach Mandeep in Rohtak.
Experts believe that subjecting quota winners to testing could cause harm."At this level, when everything is at stake, wrestlers will be at their best. This could lead to some tough matches and injuries," said a coach on condition of anonymity."
Anshu Malik, India's first 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 shot at an Olympic medal after competing at the Tokyo Games. At the age of 17, she had exceeded expectations by securing a quota place in the women's 57 kg category, but due to lack of big stage experience, she was eliminated in the first round.However, the attacking wrestler from Nidani village has made tremendous progress since then, winning a historic world silver and four Asian Championship medals. She was unable to participate in the Asian Games due to a knee injury suffered during the Asian Championships last year and was afraid that she would be pressured. So close to the games the body can spoil its preparation.
“We have to be very, very careful in every little thing we do. We're cautious in every step we take from here.I have participated in many competitions recently, in international competitions, national competitions and trials after qualifiers, so I don't need to evaluate fitness through trials,” Anshu said from Tokyo, where he is Taking training these days.
“We need mental peace before the Olympics. Two months is already very little time for preparation. At this stage, every single day counts. We plan our training on a weekly basis and if I am called to India for trials, it will disrupt the planning and affect my medal chances.“I also want to go to Europe for an international training camp from June 10, but due to uncertainty about the trials, I cannot finalize it. We need to make strategies for competitions with rivals, but if I If I prepare for this, how will I do it for the trials and not for the Olympics?" He asked.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has called a meeting of its selection committee in Delhi on May 21 to decide the trial criteria.
Nisha Dahiya (68kg) and Ritika Hooda (76kg) are among the five women wrestlers who have secured quotas for India. "I am still recovering from the weight cut in the qualifiers, if we go through the trials again So it will affect our body.We have to cater to specific wrestlers and need to plan well, but if trials happen we will keep thinking about it, how will we strategise,” said Nisha, who trains at Satyavan's Akhara in Rohtak. In 2017, I got stuck in crossing (Nordic system) and I didn't get enough points and the wrestler I beat qualified. I was confident that I would qualify in Istanbul. I have been competing in 68 kg for many years. So I got to know who my opponents could be and I wrote down about 20-22 opponents with whom I was expected to clash and started watching their matches."I was well prepared. I expected China to win, for me China is the strongest opponent, although I have defeated them."
Nisha hasn't met her family in Panipat after securing the quota."I came straight to my training center from Istanbul. I didn't want to waste time and focus, so started training here. I also convinced my parents to come here. Not allowed.Now we will meet only after the Olympics."
As per the criteria mentioned earlier, it was said that the wrestlers who finished in the top four in the final trials would compete against each other and the group winners would take on the quota winners. Ritika, who has a natural body, said, "It takes us about seven days to lose weight and about the same amount of time to recover after the competition. If I have to start the process again, we won't have to go through the tests." Weight is 81 kg.
Ritika, the country's first U23 women's world champion, feels that Japan and Turkey will present the biggest challenge for her in the Games."I am confident of a good performance, although the USA wrestler, whom I defeated in the U23 World Finals, is also strong. My attack is quite good and the defense is a bit weak. If I can play my attacking game, I will win a medal." I am a contender for Paris,” said Ritika, who trains under coach Mandeep in Rohtak.
Experts believe that subjecting quota winners to testing could cause harm."At this level, when everything is at stake, wrestlers will be at their best. This could lead to some tough matches and injuries," said a coach on condition of anonymity."
