World Wrestling Championships: Vinesh, Sarita, Sonam win trials; heartbreak for Antim

Vinesh Phogat – who faced a tough challenge from Antim Panghal in the CWG trials in May – beat the youngster 7-0 in Lucknow to take the 53kg slot.

Vinesh Phogat poses for a photograph after winning the 53kg women’s wrestling gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on August 06, 2022. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Vinesh Phogat on Monday defeated Antim Panghal, the World U-20 Championships gold medallist, in the women’s trials to get selected for the World Wrestling Championships, starting in Belgrade, Serbia, on September 10.

Worlds bronze medallist and three-time Commonwealth Games champion Vinesh – who faced a tough challenge from Antim in the CWG trials in May – beat the youngster 7-0 in Lucknow to take the 53kg slot.

Vinesh was the only one of India’s six-member CWG women’s wrestling contingent to make it to the World Championships squad. The remaining wrestlers, including Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, skipped the trials due to injuries.

Sarita Mor - a Worlds bronze medallist and the world no.1 in 59kg - began her quest for a place in the Paris Olympics by switching to 57kg. She got the better of Lalita with a 4-0 win in the trials.

Mansi Ahlawat, meanwhile, upset Worlds bronze medallist Pooja Dhanda 2-0 to secure the 59kg spot. Olympian Sonam Malik, who recently bagged a silver medal at the World U-20 Championships, beat Manisha 2-1 to claim the 62kg slot.

Asian championships bronze medallist Sushma Shokeen was the last one to secure a berth in 55kg as she defeated Pinky. Both wrestlers were level at 3-3, but Sushma got the berth for winning the last point of the bout.

The squad: Ankush (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Sushma Shokeen (55kg), Sarita Mor (57kg), Mansi Ahlawat (59kg), Sonam Malik (62kg), Shefali (65kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), Reetika (72kg) and Priyanka (76kg).