New Delhi: Olympians Antim Panghal, Deepak Punia, and Reetika Hooda showcased their skills on the mat during the national trials on Saturday, securing their places on the Indian team for the upcoming Asian Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Just days after the union sports ministry lifted the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the governing body held trials at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi for the continental competition set to take place from March 25 to 30.

A total of 30 wrestlers from various weight classes in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s freestyle were selected on Saturday. However, 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat was unable to participate due to an injury.

Panghal, who competes in the women’s 53 kg category, is making her comeback to the Asian Championships after missing last year’s event because of an injury. In the 2023 edition, the 20-year-old earned a silver medal, finishing second to Japan’s Akari Fujinami in the final.

On Saturday, the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist had a relatively straightforward path to securing her spot on the national team, as her weight class featured only three wrestlers. Panghal won both of her matches in the round-robin format to clinch her place.

Deepak Punia made his comeback to competitive wrestling after a short break, having narrowly missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Although he’s known for competing in the men’s freestyle 86 kg category, he took part in the 92 kg division this time, which isn’t an Olympic weight class.

In the 86 kg trials, Mukul Dahiya came out on top, while Chirag is set to compete in the 57 kg event alongside Sehrawat.

Reetika Hooda, who is aiming for the Paris Olympics, won her trials in the 76 kg category, where she usually competes. She previously secured a bronze medal in the 72 kg category at the 2023 Asian Championships.

These trials mark the first step for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in its efforts to revive the sport, which has faced challenges since the sports ministry suspended the association in December 2023. During this suspension, the WFI couldn’t hold trials for international competitions, especially after several prominent wrestlers raised concerns about the federation’s leadership following protests against former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.

Now that the federation is back in action, its main goals include creating a domestic calendar, organizing national training camps, and sending teams to international competitions and exposure trips.

The trial organizers were accommodating, allowing competitors a two kg weight allowance. However, a few wrestlers, including National Games gold medalist Mohit and Yash Tushir in the men’s 74 kg category, opted out of the trials due to injuries.

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