Wrestling Features

Tokyo Olympics: Arjuna and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award winner, wrestler Vinesh Phogat will be aiming to win her first Olympic medal as she enters the final stages after a successful 2021 season so far.

Indian wrestlers have been highly impressive at the global level in run up to the Tokyo Olympics and at least three of them will be genuine medal contenders at the Games.

Vinesh Phogat had hoped to secure her Rio berth for the 48kg class at an Olympic qualifier in Ulaanbaatar only to be stunned when she was thrown out of the tournament for being 400 grams overweight

The Glasgow Games could easily be termed a landmark event as six of the 13 medals in wrestling came from women. Silver medallists Lalita, Geetika Jakhar and Sakshi Malik hail from Haryana while bronze medal winner Navjot Kaur is from neighbouring Punjab.

Indian wrestlers bagged five gold, six silver and two bronze to finish with a tally of 13 medals, most by any country at Glasgow.

Beijing Games bronze medallist Sushil Kumar and his long-time friend and fellow grappler Yogeshwar Dutt have enough experience to make the London Olympics a memorable event, feels national coach Yashvir Singh.