Sehrawat, Punia Headline Indian Squad For World Wrestling Championships As Top Names Seal Berths

Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat was hardly challenged in the World Championship selection trials while Sujeet Kalkal put on display tremendous counter-attacking skills to lock his place in the national side in the men's freestyle 65kg weight category, here Monday.

Next month's World Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, will be Sehrawat's only second international event since he won a bronze in the French capital in 2024.

The 22-year old Sehrawat settled for a bronze at the Mongolia Ranking Series event in June to make a comeback to competitive wrestling. On Monday, he looked sharper than what was on show in Mongolia.

The only points he lost to Sumit in his opening bout were push-out points as his double-leg attacks gave him complete control of the match. He won by technical superiority within the first period.

The final against Rahul also turned out to be a lop-sided affair as Sehrawat again won by technical superiority and this time without conceding a point. Sehrawat had Rahul in a head-lock position in the beginning, getting on the scoreboard with a push-out point. A right leg-attack led to a two-pointer takedown.

Sehrawat moved very fast on the court. His moves were clear and he did not let Rahul make any move on him, finishing the final with authority.

"I feel I am back to my best. My fitness is good and my rhythm is also back, I am ready for World Championships," Sehrawat told PTI.

"I understand that I made a few mistakes in the Mongolia Ranking Series but that was my first competition after one year. I feel I didn't do that bad, I was even leading 11-6, but I will take that defeat (in Mongolia) in my stride," he said. 

Aman has not yet won a senior World Championship medal. He has won medals at the 2022 Asian Games (bronze), and 2023 Asian Championship (gold).

The competition in the men's freestyle 65kg was fierce and in the end it was Sujeet Kalkal who emerged the winner. From the level he was playing a year back, the youngster from Charkhi Dadri looked completely transformed.

His compact defense against both Anuj (10-0) and Vishal Kaliraman (8-4) stood out as he turned adverse positions into point-scoring opportunities with some intense counter-attacking moves.

There was a vacuum in the men's 65 kg class since star wrestler Bajrang Punia stopped competing in the category and Kalkal is gradually shaping well to make this weight class his own. His mat movement and speed has improved a lot. 

"We have worked on his strength in the last one year. With age, he has got power as well. He had an ankle injury some time back and he used the time to improve on his strength," said his father and coach, Dayanand Kalkal.

"His defence was already good; we needed to work on his attack which was a bit loose, I would say. It has got better," he added.

"His resistance power has also improved. It will only get better," remarked coach Kuldeep Sehrawat, who also worked on him at his akhada in Sonepat.

Deepak Punia, who has moved to 92kg after competing in 86kg in the Tokyo Olympics, also locked his place in the national side with dominant wins.

The 'ketli pehalwan' needed only 73 seconds to down Manjeet (SSCB) before he prevailed over Haryana's Sachin.

Mukul Dahiya, who qualified for the U20 World Championship, succeeded in making the senior squad too in the 86kg category. His wins over Sachin Jaglan (technical superiority) and Ashish (7-2) showed that he will be a good prospect for India in future.

Also making an impression was Haryana's Amit, who trains at Army Sports Institute in Pune. His fast-paced moves and tremendous movement on the mat got him a place in the Indian side in the 79kg category.

His four-pointers against Parvinder were a delight to watch. He suffered a knee injury in the final against Services' Chander Mohan but prevailed 9-6. Surprisingly, Chander Mohan did not attack much despite seeing that his rival was struggling to move after twisting his left knee.

The 74kg category was a one-bout affair with only two entries received. Jaideep claimed a place with a 12-6 win despite suffering a bad knee injury.

Rohit, who used to compete in 65kg, sealed his place in the 70kg, beating Sidharth (6-2), and Sagar (6-1). He got a walkover from Ashwani. Talented Udit (61kg), Vickey (97kg) and Rajat (125kg) were the other wrestlers to make the freestyle squad.

"Sujeet beat Russian and Kazakhstan wrestlers in Hungary. He has come up very fast. He clears tricky bouts like Sushil used to do. He will be an Olympic medal contender," said India coach Vinod Kumar.

"Udit is also emerging fast. He has transitioned well from juniors to senior level. He is young, and does not get intimidated by big names. In the coming years he will also be a great prospect for India," he added.