Yogeshwar Dutt is confident about the Indian wrestling contingent's performance in Tokyo. He said that Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are in great form and the nation can expect 2-3 medals in the sport at Tokyo Olympics.
Vinesh, seen as a gold medal hopeful, will compete in the women's freestyle 53kg category. Her first match is scheduled for August 5
The last time Vinesh Phogat faced a defeat was at the Asian Championship semifinals in February 2020, where she had to settle for a bronze.
Vinesh aims for her first Olympic medal in Tokyo, a dream she has been nurturing for the last five years after she was stretchered out at the 2016 Rio Olympics during her quarterfinal bout due to a knee injury.
India will field seven wrestlers, headlined by the spunky Vinesh Phogat and a very strong Bajrang Punia.
The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), a review committee of SAI, on Friday allowed the duo to continue training overseas till the Tokyo Games by sanctioning their respective proposals.
It is third title of the season for the 26-year-old Vinesh, who claimed gold medals at the Matteo Pellicone event (March) and Asian Championship (April) earlier.
Navya Nanda reminded that amid the ongoing sports events like IPL and football leagues, they should not forget to cheer for Vinesh Phogat, Divya Kakran, Mirabai Chanu and Anshu Malik for their triumphs at the Asian Championship.
There was no stopping Vinesh in the absence of the Chinese and Japanese rivals as she cruised to the title without losing a point in the 53kg category.
Vinesh has had seven podium finishes at the Asian meet over the years, including three silver medals.
Vinesh scored all her points in the first period and held on to her lead in the second to ensure a top-of-the-podium finish.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in the women’s 53 kg at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers And Coaches Memorial event after beating 2017 World Champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya 10-8 in the final.
Vinesh will play world No.7 and 2017 world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus on Sunday.
The camp will take place from December 28 to January 24 at the Vasas Sports Club in Budapest, Hungary and from January 24 to February 5 at the Olympic Training Centre in Szczryk in Poland.
The 24-year-old could not receive her 'Khel Ratna' as she tested positive just ahead of the virtual National Sports Awards ceremony on August 29.
The 26-year-old will skip Saturday's virtual ceremony for the National Sports Awards distribution.
The five names were recommended on Tuesday by a committee, comprising the likes of Virender Sehwag and former hockey captain Sardar Singh which met at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters in New Delhi.
While Rohit has been recognised for his ever-rising accomplishments with the bat, Vinesh has been rewarded for her gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth and Asian Games besides a bronze in the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships.
Meanwhile, Bajrang Punia and Pooja Dhanda have confirmed their participation.
The live workouts will be seen across 20 time zones on the IOC's Instagram page. She will join the virtual event from her home in Hyderabad.
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