Grapplers Vinesh, Anshu seal Paris Olympics quota
Vinesh, one of the main faces of the wrestlers’ protest last year, defeated Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy in the 50kg semifinal to inch closer to competing at her third straight Olympics.
Former Commonwealth heavyweight wrestling champion Sangram Singh on Friday announced the launch of 1st KD Jadhav Memorial International Wrestling Championship on September 15.
Sangram has lined up a five-card, with himself pitted against America’s star wrestler Kevin Radford.
“We will give opportunities to young, talented wrestlers in the country while at the same time keep our legend’s memory alive. We are aiming to not only improve the profile of the sport but also unearth more and more talents from tier-2 and tier-3 cities,” Sangram said at the press conference.
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Flanked by India’s first Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, Olympian boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar, the 32-year-old outlined his plans to take the sport to the next level.
“This is a truly momentous day for Indian sport. There couldn’t have been a better way to pay our respects to our country’s first Olympic medallist,” Bindra said.
“I have always been an admirer of KD Jadhav,” he added.
Some of the under-card wrestlers will be Yudhistir, Lubhanshu, Sherpal, Himanshu, Shravan and Pratik. Two female wrestlers will also be seen in action — Ekta vs Akansha.
The championship will adhere to professional wrestling norms with six rounds of six minutes each.
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