India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers on Sunday endured a horrific campaign at the Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Not a single wrestler were successful in earning any spots for the Paris Olympics. India has had limited representation at the Olympics in Greco Roman wrestling; the last qualification took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 which featured competitors Ravinder Khatri and Hardeep Singh.
Even though Sunil, competing in the 87kg class, beat his Japanese opponent Soh Sakabe, the other wrestlers from India failed to leave an impression and were eliminated from the competition after the first round. In his fight against Jalgasbay Berdimuratov of Uzbekistan, Sunil showed tenacity, but in the end, he was defeated 2-4 even though he had the early advantage.
Ashu’s challenge in the 67kg class was short-lived as he was defeated by technical superiority in two minutes by Abror Atabaev of Uzbekistan.
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The disappointment continued as Sumit (60kg), Vikas (77kg), Nitesh (97kg), and Naveen (130kg) were also unable to progress beyond the first round.
There is still hope for India because the country’s women wrestlers helped secure four quotas for the Paris Games. The World Qualifiers are set to take place in Turkey starting on May 9. For Indian Greco Roman wrestlers, it’s their last chance to guarantee spots at the esteemed tournament.
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