CHENNAI: After around three years, the Indian wrestling team selected for an international event will train abroad ahead of the tournament. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) recently conducted trials to pick teams for the Senior World Championships scheduled in Zagreb, Croatia from September 13 to 21. The team comprising women's wrestlers, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman grapplers will train at Porec in Croatia before heading for the Worlds.
The team comprises Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia and Paris Olympian Antim Panghal. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) sanctioned the training camp which will also provide the selected wrestlers an opportunity to acclimatise before the important competition. As per the sanction accorded by the SAI, 51 members comprising 30 wrestlers and 12 coaches will attend the camp at cost to government while three managers will be at the venue at no cost to government.
The sanction letter said the camp will be held from August 10 to September 10 but other international events and visa procurement meant the wrestlers will depart in batches only after August 20. "The camp for women wrestlers will be held from August 25 to September 12 while the men's freestyle grapplers' camp will begin on August 27 and continue till September 14. For the Greco-Roman wrestlers, the camp will start on August 29 and conclude on September 16," a WFI source told this daily.
The World Championships will begin with competition in women's wrestling followed by freestyle and Greco-Roman bouts.
Notably, the national wrestling team last had a joint overseas training camp in 2022. Protest by senior wrestlers followed by de-recognition of the WFI put a brake on such foreign training camps. The SAI, however, funded overseas preparation camps of a few selected wrestlers during this period. In 2024, the ad-hoc committee, which was managing the day-to-day affairs of the WFI, organised a training camp for Greco-Roman wrestlers in Baku, Azerbaijan. Besides them, the SAI-funded trips of a few selected women and freestyle wrestlers last year as well.
Aman, one of India's brightest medal prospects, made his senior World Championships debut two years ago but could not finish on the podium. The tournament will be an opportunity for the 2022 U23 Worlds gold winner to capture a medal at the senior level. Antim, meanwhile, had a disappointing outing in Paris but she started the year by winning a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in March followed by two gold medals at the Mongolia Open and Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial Ranking Series.
Similarly, Deepak, who has switched to 92kg from 86kg, will also eye redemption and try to get back to the podium as he did in 2019 when he won 86kg silver and qualified for the Tokyo Games. He won a silver and a bronze in the two previous Ranking Series this year apart from bagging a silver medal at the 2025 Asian Championships.
Teams
Women's wrestling: 50kg-Ankush, 53kg-Antim Panghal, 55kg-Nishu, 57kg-Tapasya, 59kg-Neha Sangwan, 62kg-Manisha Bhanwala, 65kg-Vaishnavi Patil, 68kg-Srishti, 72kg-Jyoti Berwal, 76kg-Priya Malik.
Men’s freestyle: 57kg-Aman Sehrawat, 61kg-Udit Gulia, 65kg-Sujeet Kalkal, 70kg-Rohit, 74kg-Vikas, 79kg-Amit, 86kg-Mukul Dahiya, 92kg-Deepak Punia, 97kg-Vicky, 125kg-Rajat.
Men's Greco-Roman: 55kg-Anil Mor, 60kg-Suraj, 63kg-Sunny Kumar, 67kg-Anil, 72kg-Ankit Gulia, 77kg-Aman, 82kg-Rahul, 87kg-Karan Kamboj, 97kg-Nitesh, 130kg-Sonu.
Note: Jaideep Narwal got injured during trials and was replaced by silver medallist Vikas in men's 74kg freestyle.