Olympic medallist wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt to fight in new weight categories in Italy

Sushil Kumar

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): India's two champion wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeswar Dutt will be fighting it out in their new weight categories for the first time at the 19th International Tournament in the Italian city of Sassari May 30-31.

Both double Olympic medallist Sushil and London Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt were forced to move to higher weight categories last year after world body FILA scrapped 66kg and 60kg from the 2016 Rio Games.

Sushil, who won bronze in Beijing and silver in London, moved to 70kg and Yogeshwar to 65kg to cope with the new changes affected by FILA and coach Yashvir Singh told IANS that the two wrestlers have adjusted well in their new weight categories.

"The international tournament in Sassari will be the first international tournament for both Sushil and Yogeshwar since the London Games. It will also be the first time they will be fighting it out in new weight categories," Yashvir told IANS.

Yashvir said the tournament will help Sushil and Yogeshwar to gauge where their stand in their new weight categories.

"It will helps us to know where they stand. If needed we will make some technical changes," said Yashvir.

Besides Sushil and Yogeshwar, Bajrang (61kg), Naresh Kumar (86kg), Satywart Kadian (97kg), Krishan (120kg), were selected to be a part of the men's team. The women's team will comprise Pooja (48kg), Babita Kumari (53kg), Shilpi Sheoran (55kg), Divyanshi Tyagi (58kg), Sakshi Malik (60kg), Nongmaithem Tombi Devi (63kg) and Jyoti (75kg).