Indian wrestler Antim Panghal, a two-time U-20 world champion, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Asian Wrestling Championships. This decision comes in the wake of a back injury she reportedly suffered after a fall in her house.
Preparations halt for Antim Panghal ahead of the Paris Games
Panghal, who competes in the 53kg category alongside ace grappler Vinesh Phogat, has been exempted from the trials by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) due to her injury. She has requested the federation to postpone her trial as she has barely trained for a month now. The WFI has agreed to her request but has asked her to appear for a trial at a later date to prove her fitness.
Panghal’s decision to skip the Asian Wrestling Championships does not affect her place in the upcoming Paris Olympics. She secured her Olympic quota by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships last year. As of now, she is the only Indian wrestler to have secured a berth in the Olympics.
The Asian Wrestling Championships, set to take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, next month, will miss the presence of this formidable athlete. However, Anju, the U23 world championships medallist from 2021 who won the selection trials in the 53kg division in Patiala, will replace Antim.
Panghal’s focus now is on her preparations for the Paris Olympics. Her coach, Vikas Bharadwaj, mentioned that they are also looking to go abroad for a training stint. Panghal has not competed since October, and she had a stellar last year winning bronze in her maiden world championships, which also ensured her a quota place, besides defending her U20 World title and winning bronze at the Asian Games in October.
The trials for the Asian Championships and the continental qualifiers are set to take place in New Delhi on 10 and 11 March. It remains to be seen if two-time World Championships bronze medallist Phogat and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia participate in the trials or not.
Also Read: Anirudh-Vijay through to Quarterfinals of US Men’s Clay Court Championships
