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Aman Sehrawat will be in contention for Paris Olympics quota spot at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. Image: UWW Screenshot
Only Aman Sehrawat progressed forward to the semi-finals and second half of action on the opening day of the Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan.
The day started in ominous fashion with
Deepak Punia (86kg category) and Sujeet Kalakal (65kg category) missing out
for reporting late to weigh-ins. The duo had been stuck at the Dubai Airport amid
flight delays caused by incessant rain
. With both wrestlers, coach Kamal Malikov and physio Shubham Gupta unable to travel since Tuesday, they failed to report for the mandatory weigh-ins on time. The duo can still book quota places for the Paris Olympics at the World Qualification Tournament in Turkey in May.
It left four Indian wrestlers in contention on Friday: Aman Sehrawat (Men’s 57kg), Jaideep (Men’s 74kg), Deepak (Men’s 97kg) and Sumit Malik (Men’s 125kg). And only one of them, Aman, survived the early rounds to qualify for the semi-finals.
He will be up against defending champion Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan for a spot at booking quota place for the Paris Olympics.
Aman Sehrawat, the 2023 Asian champion and Asian Games bronze medallist, made short work of Yerassyl Mukhtaruly with a 10-0 victory in their opening match in the 57kg category.
He then sealed a spot in the semi-finals with an 11-1 win over Sunggwon Kim of Korea. Having started slowly, Aman changed gears and got the job done in the second period.
Jaideep started the competition well by surviving Alp Begenjov’s arm throw for four points before roaring back with a pin 30 seconds before the break to advance in 74kg category.
In the quarter-final, Orozobek Toktomabetov of Kyrgyzstan gave up a takedown and then came to with one of his own in the decisive move. With scores tied at 2-2, the local wrestler won by virtue of last-point criteria.
In the 97kg category, Deepak was swept aside by Arash Yoshida of Japan by a 10-0 margin.
Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur of Mongolia ended Sumit’s hopes in the 125kg category with a leg lace.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
