Vinesh Phogat trained in the mountains to prepare for Tokyo, says Indian chief coach Kuldeep Malik

Indian women's wrestling team members Vinesh Phogat and Anshu Malik have been attending a two-week training camp since June 27 in Tallinn, Estonia. They are taking this step to polish their skills for the Tokyo Olympic Games, said Kuldeep Malik, chief coach of the Indian team, in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda.

“The atmosphere here in Tallinn is good for practice as there are several training partners in different weight categories. It is a big advantage to have lots of sparring partners in the final phase of preparation,” Kuldeep Malik from Tallinn said.

Four Indian women freestyle wrestlers have qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

While Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Anshu Malik (57kg) are training in Europe, Seema Bisla (50kg) and Sonam Malik (62kg) are training at their respective training centers in Haryana.

Vinesh, in fact, has been in Hungary since the month of April to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. She has participated in outdoor activities, namely trekking, to increase her performance levels for the Summer Games.

The Estonian exposure tour of Vinesh Phogat and Anshu Malik will conclude on July 10, and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is making efforts to extend the European tour by having a short training camp in Budapest, Hungary, from next Monday.

“The two weeks training camp in Tallinn started June 27 and will conclude July 10. We want to train in Budapest and are waiting for Hungarian government approval. In case we don’t get permission to train in Budapest, we will come back to India,” said India’s chief women’s wrestling coach.

According to Kuldeep Malik, the exposure tour to Tallinn has turned out to be excellent as several wrestlers from Germany, Hungary and France are training with them in Estonia.

“There are good sparring partners in each of the weight categories. That’s why wrestlers from several European countries have come here to train,” added Kuldeep Malik.

Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers are geared up for Tokyo

Last month, the injured duo of Sonam Malik and Seema Bisla skipped the month-long training cum exposure camp in the Polish city of Warsaw. Both Sonam Malik and Seema Bisla were unable to compete at the World Ranking Series in Warsaw from June 8-13, due to injuries.

Even Anshu Malik pulled out of the World Ranking Series in Poland a day before her bout as she fell ill. Only Vinesh Phogat competed in the competition.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya (men 57kg) and Deepak Punia (men 86kg) who have qualified for the Olympics in their respective weight group were the other two Indian wrestlers who took part in the World Ranking Series.

After the World Ranking Series in Poland, the Indian wrestlers attended a camp in Warsaw to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Currently, Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia are training in Russia.

Vinesh Phogat has been training in Europe since April with her personal coach Woller Akos. In May, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) approved a grant of INR 20.21 lakh to extend Vinesh Phogat’s training programe in Europe until June.