Vinesh Phogat wins berth for Belgrade World Wrestling Championships

The contest between newly crowned junior world champion Antim Panghal and Olympian Vinesh Phogat was supposed to be the best match of Monday's Senior National Selection Trials for next month’s World Wrestling Championships.

However, it turned out to be an easy outing for Vinesh as she outplayed her young rival 7-0 to earn a ticket to the September 10-18 World Wrestling Championships, scheduled to be held in Belgrade, Serbia.

This is the second time Vinesh has defeated Antim in domestic trials. Antim lost to Vinesh in the Commonwealth Games selection trials as well.

With several elite Commonwealth Games medal-winning wrestlers skipping the trials held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, the focus was on Vinesh.

Winner of gold in the 53kg division at the Commonwealth Games, Vinesh continued her good work in the selection trials to cement her place in the national squad for the Belgrade competition.

“The selected wrestlers will continue to attend the national camp,” Jitender Yadav, chief women’s coach, told Sportskeeda.

The selection trials also saw Haryana’s teenage wrestler Sonam Malik establishing herself in the 62kg category. Sonam failed to impress at the Commonwealth Games selection trials, but made amends to win silver at the recently concluded World U20 Wrestling Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria.

“Commonwealth Games was a bad miss for Sonam as she was still recovering from a niggle,” Sonam’s coach Ajmer Singh told Sportskeeda. “She is fit now and we expect Sonam to give her best in Serbia.”

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games bronze medalist Sakshi Malik won gold in women’s 62kg division at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, but decided to skip the Monday trials in Lucknow.

Birmingham silver winner Anshu Malik, fancied to win the 57kg category trials, too opted out as she had to undergo elbow surgery after the Commonwealth Games.

Divya Kakran (68kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg), medal winners in their respective weight categories at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, skipped the senior selection trials for personal reasons.

Following are the selected women wrestlers for the World Championships:

Ankush (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Sushma Shokeen (55kg), Sarita (57kg), Mansi (59kg), Sonam Malik (62kg), Shifali (65kg), Nisha (68kg), Ritika (72kg), Priyanka (76kg).