Vinesh Phogat’s hopes of making a comeback and representing India at the Asian Games later this year came to an end after she was knocked out in the women’s 53kg category at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) selection trials held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here on Saturday.
The Olympian suffered a 4-6 defeat against Asian Championships silver medallist Meenakshi Goyat in a closely contested semifinal. Earlier in the day, Vinesh had used her experience to overcome the challenge of a spirited Nishu in a hard-fought quarterfinal bout to reach the last four.
The biggest talking point of the trials came in the 53kg division, where Meenakshi’s victory over Vinesh opened the door for two-time U20 World Champion Antim Panghal. Antim went on to clinch the top spot and secure her place in India’s squad for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, by edging past Meenakshi 3-2 in a tightly fought final.
Apart from Antim, Nisha Dahiya, Manisha, and Dipanshee also booked their places in the Indian women’s wrestling team after winning their respective categories.
In the 68kg category, Nisha secured qualification with a narrow 4-3 victory over Mansi Lather in the final.
“I want to extend my heartiest congratulations to all the wrestlers who have performed brilliantly today and secured their places in the squad. The level of competition at the IG Stadium was exceptional, proving once again that our women’s wrestling pipeline is incredibly strong,” said Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Singh.
Asian Championships gold medallist Manisha continued her impressive run of form in the 57kg category, defeating Neha 8-2 in the final. U15 Asian Champion Dipanshee emerged victorious in the 50kg division after registering a 9-3 win over Priyanshi.
In the 62kg category, U23 Asian Championships gold medallist Bhagyashree produced a dominant performance to win her bout 10-0. U23 Asian Championships bronze medallist Nitika also impressed with an 8-3 victory, while former U17 and U23 Asian champion Savita registered a hard-fought 4-3 win in her category.
In the 76kg division, Priya and Kajal advanced further after recording convincing semifinal victories by scores of 4-2 and 6-2, respectively.
With the women’s selection trials now complete, the selected grapplers will begin their final phase of preparation for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where they will look to carry India’s rich wrestling legacy onto the continental stage. The focus will now shift to the men’s selection trials, scheduled to take place in Lucknow on Sunday, which will complete India’s wrestling squad for the Games.