Asian Wrestling Championship 2021: Fixtures, telecast & more

The Indian wrestlers are gearing up to face stiff opposition at the continental event.

India will have high hopes on their wrestling team to deliver medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo later in the year. Several of the country's best wrestlers will be in action during the Asian Wrestling Championships, which are set to get underway at the Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Tuesday. 

There are a total of 30 members in the Indian wrestling contingent playing across the Greco-Roman and freestyle events. Of the 30, there are 10 wrestlers competing in women’s wrestling too. The upcoming Asian Championships should be a great litmus test for the athletes to gauge their preparation ahead of the Olympics.

Ones to watch

Joining wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat (women, 53kg), and freestyle wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg) Bajrang Punia (65kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) will be the young athletes Sonam Malik and Anshu Malik. The duo secured a ticket to Tokyo 2020 via the Asian Olympic qualifying quota places.

The freestyle event contenders include the likes of, Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg), Ravinder (61kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Karan (70kg), Sandeep Singh Mann (74kg), Narsingh Yadav (79kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Satyawart Kadian (97kg), Sumit Malik (125kg).

In the Greco-Roman category, India will have Sandeep (55kg), Gyaneder (60kg), Neeraj (63kg), Ashu (67kg), Kuldeep Malik (72kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Harpreet (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Ravi (97kg), Naveen (130kg).

Lastly, the women’s wrestling challenge will see the likes of  Seema (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Pinki (55kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Sarita Mor (59kg), Sonam Malik (62kg), Sakshi Malik (65kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), Divya Kakran (72kg), Pooja Sihag (76kg) compete for medals.

Among all the probables, eyes will be on several renowned athletes like Bajrang Punia who will look to better Japan’s Takuto Otoguro, who has two wins over him.

Female wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik will also be competing. The latter, who was the bronze medallist during the 2016 Rio Olympics will contest in the 65kg division. Sonam Malik will be one of the absentees since a knee injury keeps her out of the championships. She will hope to be fit in time for the Tokyo Games. 

Whenever any Indian athlete has secured an individual medal in the past, their form in the World or Asian Championships has played a huge role. Therefore, Indian fans will keep a close on the athletes and their conditioning. 

Indian contingent in full:

Freestyle: Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg), Ravinder (61kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Karan (70kg), Sandeep Singh Mann (74kg), Narsingh Yadav (79kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Satyawart Kadian (97kg), Sumit Malik (125kg).

Greco-Roman: Sandeep (55kg), Gyaneder (60kg), Neeraj (63kg), Ashu (67kg), Kuldeep Malik (72kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Harpreet (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Ravi (97kg), Naveen (130kg).

Women's wrestling: Seema (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Pinki (55kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Sarita Mor (59kg), Sonam Malik (62kg), Sakshi Malik (65kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), Divya Kakran (72kg), Pooja Sihag (76kg).

Schedule

Tuesday, April 13

Qualification and repechage rounds (GR – 55, 63, 77, 87, 130kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (GR – 55, 63, 77, 87, 130kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Wednesday, April 14

Qualification and repechage rounds (GR – 60, 67, 72, 82, 97kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (GR – 60, 67, 72, 82, 97kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Thursday, April 15

Qualification and repechage rounds (WW – 50, 55, 59, 68, 76kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (WW – 50, 55, 59, 68, 76kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Friday, April 16

Qualification and repechage rounds (WW – 53, 57, 62, 65, 72kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (WW – 53, 57, 62, 65, 72kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Saturday, April 17

Qualification and repechage rounds (FS – 57 ,65, 70, 79, 97kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (FS – 57 ,65, 70, 79, 97kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Sunday, April 18

Qualification and repechage rounds (FS – 61, 74, 86, 92, 125kg) - 11:00 AM IST - 2:00 PM IST

Finals (FS – 61, 74, 86, 92, 125kg) - 5:30 PM IST - 8:30 PM IST

Where to Watch

The event is not being broadcast in India. owever, you can catch the live stream on wrestlingtv.in.

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