Why wrestling lightweight Puducherry finished third at Nationals and Sikkim, Andaman fielded ‘strong’ teams

Weigh-ins and verification of men’s freestyle wrestlers completed closer to midnight, finalisation of jumbo draws that resulted in a delayed start on Monday and a mega entry list of 325 wrestlers across weight classes, with certain categories comprising 34 wrestlers and 16 first-round bouts.

States like Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar, not known for wrestling prowess, fielded wrestlers named Rahul Rathi, Parvinder, Vinay Dahiya and Hritik Yadav. Mizoram, Meghalaya and Lakshadweep also had stronger-than-usual teams comprising a few wrestlers from powerhouse states. The entry list read pretty similar in women’s freestyle, too, a day earlier. Puducherry, a lightweight in wrestling, finished third in the team championship.

Thirty-four teams, including institutional units Railways and Services, were represented on the final day of the Senior National Wrestling Championships as the Ad-hoc committee, with the mandate to run the sport, allowed those who turned up in Jaipur to participate — provided their papers, including licence book — were in order.

“We didn’t stop anyone from competing at the Senior Nationals in Jaipur because this is the championship recognised by the sports ministry. We didn’t want wrestlers to miss out on the opportunity. We welcomed every eligible wrestler. Even those who participated in Pune at the nationals conducted by the suspended WFI were given entry here. Some states had conducted two separate trails, one for Pune and one for Jaipur. In the end, only the best wrestlers will finish on the podium and be included in the camp, so the extra numbers don’t matter,” said an official.

Last week, the suspended WFI conducted its nationals in Pune, which was organised by its suspended president Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces sexual harassment charges. The sports ministry had said the Pune nationals were unsanctioned while the one in Jaipur, conducted by the Indian Olympic Association appointed ad-hoc committee is the recognised one.

The state associations aligned with the suspended WFI didn’t field teams in Jaipur, an official confirmed. So to ensure representation and to have strength in numbers, the ad-hoc committee contacted well-known coaches from the states that boycotted the Jaipur nationals and asked them to field active wrestlers.

“We don’t know how the coaches selected the wrestlers they brought along, but at least there is maximum representation,” said another official involved in conducting the Senior Nationals.

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At the Pune nationals last week, Sanjay Singh had said that 25 state units had participated. Railways and Services, which attracts the cream of talent, didn’t field teams in Pune.

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