Top five Indians to keep an eye out for at Wrestling World Championship

The 17th edition of the tournament will take place in Oslo, Norway.

The Wrestling World Championship will see a number of Indian youngsters performing at the highest level. Tokyo Olympic medallists, Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Bajrang Punia have withdrawn from the competition due to different reasons. Vinesh Phogat has also withdrawn citing health issues. She was a part of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics and participated in the trials as well. Olympian Deepak Punia, Sonam Malik, Seema Bisla will also not take part due to injury concerns.

The weight of expectation to perform at the Wrestling World Championship will be on the youngsters. The Indian contingent is filled with junior stars who recently made their name at the Junior Wrestling Championships. They will now look to impress in absence of the seniors. It will be a very interesting competition for the Indian contingent. Indian fans will get to see the stars of tomorrow in action.

Here are the top five Indian grapplers who should be kept an eye on at Wrestling World Championship 2021.

5. Gourav Baliyan

The young wrestler rose to prominence in 2019 when he won the National Wrestling Championships defeating Parveen Rana. Gourav is considered a fast learner and despite his limitations, the youngster is naturally talented which helps him overcome the adversities. The youngster has competed in both 74kg and 79kg and has had more success in the latter.

An Asian Championship silver medallist in 2020, Gourav is destined for greatness. He recently impressed everyone at the Junior Wrestling Championships by winning the bronze medal and will look to carry that form to the senior level. It will be a big challenge for the Muzaffarnagar native but he is someone who relishes challenges.

4. Pooja Gehlot

One of India's brightest wrestling talents, Pooja Gehlot will have a chance to prove her worth at the Wrestling World Championship. The 24-year-old has a chance to shine for her country in the absence of senior grapplers. Gehlot mostly competes in the 50kg category as the 53kg is already occupied by Vinesh Phogat. But in her absence, Pooja has taken up her position at the World Wrestling Championship.

Pooja has proven time and again that she is not a pushover with her gold medal at Asian Junior Championships in 2017 or a silver medal at the 2019 U-23 World Championships in the 53kg category in Budapest. This will be a comeback tournament for Pooja as she missed out on Tokyo Olympics due to an injured elbow.

3. Ravinder Kumar

Another youngster who can be a household name in Indian wrestling, Ravinder Kumar will be eager to make a mark at the Wrestling World Championship. He recovered from an ACL injury and went on to win a silver medal at the 2021 Junior World Championships in quick succession, proving his dedication to the sport. The 61kg grappler has also won a silver medal at the 2019 U23 World Championships, therefore making a habit of winning in big events.

Over the last few years, Ravinder has impressed everyone in the wrestling circuit in India. Most people hail him as the next big thing in Indian wrestling. In absence of seniors, Ravinder has to prove a point at the World Championships while his primary target will be qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

2. Sarita Mor

One of India's most consistent grapplers, Sarita will look to perform at the highest level in Norway at the Wrestling World Championship. In Vinesh Phogat's absence, the 26-year-old will have to spearhead the Indian women's contingent at the tournament. Sarita has been an immense force at the Asian circuit over the years. She started with a silver medal in 2017 and came up with a developed performance with back to back gold medals in the 2020 and 2021 Asian Championships.

After winning a gold medal in Almaty in the Asian Championships, Sarita backed it up with another gold at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking series held in Rome. She has been in exceptional form in 2021 and will look to replicate that form in the World Championships.

1. Anshu Malik

Malik will be the only Olympian to feature in the Wrestling World Championship. The youngster will look to redeem herself after a below-par performance at the Tokyo Olympics and the World Championships will be the best platform for her to reinvent herself. The 20-year-old is extremely talented and has proven herself by winning several accolades. She won the gold medal in the 2021 Asian Championships in Almaty and won the silver medal at the 2020 World Cup in Belgrade. Her exceptional performances saw her qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

It is a big feat for a 20-year-old to make it to the Summer Games as she will only get better from here. Anshu lost her first bout against Belarusian grappler Iryana Kurachkina 8-2 in the 57kg category at the Tokyo Olympics. She got a second bite at the cherry via repechage but lost against Russian opponent Valeria Koblova. Anshu will be determined to get back to the winning ways at the Wrestling World Championship in Norway.

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