The performance of Indian freestyle wrestlers in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers was disappointing. So the opportunity to get a ticket to the Paris Olympics is lost.
Aman Sehrawat had to lose in the semi-final of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. Aman thus lost the chance to secure a quota for the Paris Games. Deepak Punia and Sujit Kalkal also lost their chance as they could not participate in the competition on time.
Aman Sehrawat dominated the 57 kg category, defeating his first two opponents Yerasil Mukhtaruli and Sungwon Kim with technical superiority. However, he failed to maintain the momentum against Gulomzon Abdullahev of Uzbekistan and fell behind by 10 points. The Indian wrestling world had high hopes for Aman as he defeated Ravi Dahiya, who was considered the strongest in his age group, to get the chance to represent the country.
Apart from Aman, Jaideep also got off to a great start in the 74kg category and defeated Turkmenistan’s Al Arslan Begenzov. After a 2–2 draw, they lost in the quarter-finals against Kyrgyzstan’s Orozobek Tokomambatovabad. Sumit Malik (125kg) also lost to Kyrgyz’s Lakhagwagerel Munakhtur by technical superiority in the first round, while Deepak (97kg) lost by technical superiority in the qualifiers.
Deepak and Sujith Kalkal were not allowed to participate in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. Both the wrestlers were stranded at Dubai airport since Tuesday and reached Bishkek on Friday. By the time these two Indian wrestlers reached there, the weight checks of other wrestlers had started. The organizers then refused to approve Deepak and Sujith. Sources said the organizers did not allow the Indian coaches after their request.
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