NEW DELHI: With Sushil Kumar opting out of the trials to select the team for the Asian Olympic qualifier and Asian Championships, all eyes were on Narsingh Yadav in the star-studded 74kg freestyle category. However, it was Sandeep Singh Mann who shone brightest on Tuesday at the IG Stadium here as he beat the former World Championship bronze medallist while getting the better of Amit Dhankar in the final.
Sandeep, who had won 79kg gold in the 2019 national championships, competed in the 74kg in the 2020 edition held in January this year and defeated the likes of Jitender Kumar and Dhankar to emerge champion. The wrestler from Punjab will now be boarding the flight to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Sandeep got the better of Narsingh Yadav 4-3 in the semifinals before edging past Dhankar 2-1 in the final bout.
"After the win in January, I knew what I had to do. I was aware of the tough challenge in this category so I watched videos to prepare myself and I was confident knowing I have already beaten these guys and I believed in myself and the aim before today was to win," Sandeep said.
Sandeep's last international appearance, however, did not go as planned as in Rome he suffered from dehydration because of which he could not give his 100 per cent. But he maintained that coming first is his priority and not just doing well. "I'm still relatively new in the international arena but I'm confident I can bridge the gap between me and the elite level next time I take to the mat. First I have to earn the quota and then win the Asian Championship. Those are my immediate goals."
During the lockdown, the 21-year-old wrestler was almost touching 85 kgs, but a strict diet regime and his coach's guidance ensured he made the cut ahead of the nationals. "I wanted to compete in the 74kg category so I had to train rigorously while I consulted a dietician and had to cut down on a lot and maintain a strict diet routine. It was difficult but the goals I have are also quite high so sacrifice is required."
Both the 97kg and 125kg bouts went as expected as Satyawart Kadian and Sumit Malik emerged winners. In the Greco-Roman style, Gyanender (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Ravi (97kg) and Naveen (130kg) won the trials in their respective categories. In case Indian wrestlers fail to secure a quota place at the Asian qualifier, world Olympic qualifier in Sofia, Bulgaria from May 6-9 will be the next target.
WFI also announced that the trials in the remaining weight categories will be held in the third week of this month. As of now Bajrang Punia (65kg), Ravi Dahiya (57kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) among men and Vinesh Phogat (53kg) in the women's section have qualified for the Tokyo Games.