Senior World Wrestling Championships: Nishu emerged as the winner in the 53kg category at the national selection trials on Monday, earning the right to challenge Asian Games-bound Antim Panghal in a final trial for India’s berth at the Senior World Wrestling Championships.
The trials were held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, where Nishu came through a competitive 53kg field and defeated Thishka in the final.
Under the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) selection policy, the winners of Monday’s trials will get an opportunity to face the wrestlers already selected for the Asian Games in a final trial.
The eventual winner of that contest will represent India in the respective category at the Senior World Championships, scheduled to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.
The final trial between Nishu and Antim will be conducted at a later date.
The trials in four non-Olympic weight categories are also scheduled to be held separately. Apart from Nishu, several other wrestlers produced strong performances in the women’s categories.
The two-time U20 World Champion Kajal topped the 76kg category after defeating Siksha in the final, while Simran secured the 57kg title by edging Swati Shinde.
Neelam claimed the 50kg top spot after overcoming Ankush in the final. Tapsya won the 62kg category with a victory over Anjali, while Srishti prevailed against Bipasha to finish first in the 68kg division.
WFI President Sanjay Singh praised the standard of competition and said the performances highlighted the growing depth in Indian women’s wrestling.
“The quality and intensity of the bouts today were encouraging. The wrestlers fought with tremendous determination and showed that there is considerable depth across the weight categories. I congratulate all the winners and look forward to seeing them compete for India on the international stage,” Sanjay Singh said.
The spotlight, however, will remain firmly on the 53kg category, where Nishu’s trial victory has set up a high-stakes final contest against Antim, with a World Championships place at stake.
The results of Monday’s WFI Women’s Selection Trials were:
50kg: Neelam – 1st Position | Ankush – 2nd Position
53kg: Nishu – 1st Position | Thishka – 2nd Position
57kg: Simran – 1st Position | Swati Shinde – 2nd Position
62kg: Tapsya – 1st Position | Anjali – 2nd Position
57kg: Simran – 1st Position | Swati Shinde – 2nd Position