Vinesh Phogat gets a favourable draw in 50 kg Olympic qualifier at first international tournament since protests

Vinesh Phogat took a punt. Now, she has been dealt a good hand.

Having changed her weight class – dropping from her pet category, 53 kg, to 50 fearing that the Wrestling Federation of India might create hurdles for her – the luck of the draw favoured Vinesh, as her path to the Paris Olympics was unveiled on Thursday.

The Asian Olympic Qualifiers – the first of the last two chances for wrestlers to win quota places – begin on Friday and Vinesh will have to wait until Saturday to get a shot at qualifying for her third Olympics. But now she knows what she’ll have to do and whom she’ll have to beat to stand a chance to be at the French capital this summer.

As things stand, the two toughest competitors in the 50 kg weight class, North Korea’s Son Hyang Kim – one of the finest wrestlers in this category – and Asian Games bronze medallist Aktenge Keunimjaeva are both on the opposite side of the draw. It means Vinesh can meet them only in the final and she just has to make it that far to win a quota place.

Japan, China and Mongolia have already won quotas in this category, making the competition that much more open.

Vinesh will open her campaign against South Korea’s Miran Cheon and if she wins, Cambodia’s Samnag Dit awaits in the second round. It must be noted, however, that this will be Vinesh’s first international tournament since the protests against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh began last year in January.

However, Vinesh isn’t the only Indian wrestler who has lacked competition experience heading into the all-important qualifiers. Unlike her, though, the rest have been handed a tricky draw.

In the 57 kg category, Anshu Malik will compete in her first event since last year’s Asian Championship and will have to overcome a stiff challenge from China’s Kexin Hong, an Asian Games bronze medallist and the top seed as well as North Korea’s Sun Jong.

In the corresponding weight category for men, Aman Sehrawat, seeded number 2, will potentially face number 3 seed Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan in the semifinals. Aman suffered a groin injury recently during training and while his coaching played down any concerns, the tough draw to reach the final means the young wrestler – competing in the same weight category as Tokyo silver medallist Ravi Dahiya – will have his task cut out.

Like Aman, Deepak Punia too has a tough path to the final. Should Deepak reach Bishkek in time for his event – the former World Championship medallist is stranded in Dubai for the last two days – he will run into top seed and former Russian MMA artist, Magomed Sharipov of Bahrain for a Paris quota, assuming the rest of the draw plays out as expected.

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