Wrestling: Thinking Tokyo Olympics and past, Vinesh Phogat adjustments weight category

India’s leading wrestler Vinesh Phogat has determined to transport up to the fifty-three kg weight class from her preferred 50 kg beginning with the continuing Dan Kolov tournament in Bulgarian a to lower the hazard of injuries and remain in wrestling for a longer length. With same-day weigh-in made mandatory using United World Wrestling, the governing body of the sport, wrestlers who reduce a significant amount of weight have determined it is challenging to regain complete power by the point the opposition starts of evolved. Vinesh too cuts around eight to 9 kilograms to make the 50 kg weight limit. “I could be competing inside the 53 kg class this year and probably on t; the World Championships and Olympics as properly if I qualify,” Vinesh told Scroll. In from Bulgaria. “It is a choice that my train Woller Akos and I have taken after plenty of concepts. Let’s see how it goes.”

Vinesh had competed within the forty-eight kg class when considering her senior international debut apart from an occasional look inside the fifty three-55 kg category. But since the rejig of weight classes in January 2018, when the 48 kg changed into scrapped, she needed to flow up to 50 kg. In the past five years, the 24-yr-old has been one of India’s most hit wrestlers prevailing returned-to-lower back Commonwealth Games gold and turning into the primary lady wrestler to win gold at Asian Games in 2018 after triumphing the bronze in the 2014 version. Her results make her one among India’s largest medal potentialities at the Tokyo Games subsequent yr.

“Injuries were the principal problem, and if I stay injury lose, I can wrestle a long time,” she stated. “It’s no longer like Tokyo Games are the give up of my profession. I need to think beforehand as well. It’s a 50-50 selection, and I’ll recognize more clearly towards the sector championships in September. Still, till then, I can be in fifty-three kg,” stated Vinesh, who had to lose 4 kilograms in three days in Jakarta at some stage in the Asian Games.

Struggling with weight reduction

The 24-12 months-old has recently been suffering from weight reduction and had wrestled within the fifty-seven kg weight category on the senior national championships in December closing yr. At the beginning of this year, she competed in a 53 kg class at the Pro Wrestling League but with a kg allowance. She had not made the load at some stage in the first World Olympic qualifiers in Mongolia in 2016 and had to qualify for the Rio Games within the remaining qualifiers. But her adventure in Rio led to career-threatening knee harm on the mat.

The new category will throw sparkling demanding situations for Vinesh, who ultimately wrestled at the worldwide degree on the Asian Games in August. “We will take a look at the warring parties in 53 kg and how we have put together towards them,” she said. “I have usually tried training and getting to know against opponents of 50 kg; however, now it’ll alternate. “I need to work on higher frame strength now due to the fact I might be competing in opposition to heavier opponents. I need to enhance my skill set for this reason,” she added.

Her first take-a-look will come on Saturday when she makes the mat at the Dan Kolov tournament. She will begin in opposition to Uzbekistan’s A Keunimjaeva and faces a potential semi-final in opposition to cutting-edge global champion Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA. But Vinesh hasn’t involved approximately the results at this match. “This is the primary opponent of the season, so I will now not be burdened about it (result). I now have not an idea that I need to win a gold medal right here. I am right here to test my progress and recognize my warring parties.”

The 53 kg class has thrown a few surprises inside the beyond, and in contrast to different categories, no wrestler has ruled it. While Haruna Okuna changed into an international champion in 2018, Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya, who Vinesh beat in PWL in January, took the name in 2017. Mayu Mukaida of Japan received the silver medal in 2017. Vinesh believes that there are no favorites in the category at the sector stage or in India.

“The fifty-three kg category is an open class,” she said. “No one is a favorite to win a gold medal in each match at the world stage. You see 50 kg or some other; two-three names crop up as favorites; however, this category is unsure. “I wrestled some instances in fifty-three kg and fifty-five kg in the beyond, but I was by no means critical approximately it. Now is the time to get extreme,” she introduced.