Two-time World championships bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat will attract the maximum attention among Indian wrestlers, who will be vying for Paris Olympics quota places in the Asian Olympic Games qualifier starting in Bishkek on Friday.
Vinesh, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 53kg, dropped to 50kg for the trials after Antim Panghal secured the 53kg quota place by winning a World championship bronze last year. The lack of clarity whether she would be able to challenge Antim (as the quota place belongs to the country) made Vinesh take the decision.
The 29-year-old two-time Olympian, a prominent face in last year’s wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, will have North Korea’s Son Hyang Kim and Uzbekistan’s Aktenge Keunimjaeva, among others, in her weight. Three Asian countries — Japan, China and Mongolia — have already booked their spots in the Olympics.
