Lucknow, May 31 (IANS) Experienced campaigner and Asian Games silver medallist Deepak Punia underlined his class with a commanding performance at the selection trials, as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) finalized a strong men’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Lucknow on Sunday.

Joining him in the Indian contingent are World No. 1 Sujeet Kalkal, Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, and 2023 Asian Games bronze medallist Sunil Kumar, with the latter set to lead a confident Greco-Roman unit that has been on an upward trajectory following a string of impressive results at the recent Asian Championships.

With 169 wrestlers in contention, Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat lived up to expectations, cruising to an 11-1 victory over Rahul in the 57kg final. World No. 1 Sujeet Kalkal also booked his ticket to Aichi-Nagoya with a composed 2-0 win over Vishal Kaliramana in the 65kg category. Experienced campaigner and Asian Games silver medallist Deepak Punia, who has largely competed in the 86kg division, successfully secured the 97kg berth after overpowering Jointy Kumar 8-0 to continue his strong run of form.

Adding further depth to the freestyle contingent, Sagar Jaglan emerged victorious in a closely contested 74kg final, edging past Jaideep 8-6, while Mukul Dahiya secured the 86kg berth with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Amit. In the heavyweight 125kg category, Rajat Rahal punched his ticket to the Asian Games with an impressive 10-6 victory against Dinesh. The trials reflected the depth of talent across weight classes, with several closely fought bouts highlighting the intense competition for a berth in the Indian team heading to Aichi-Nagoya.

“I congratulate all the wrestlers who have earned their place in the Indian squad through a highly competitive selection process. The trials reflected the perfect blend of experienced campaigners and emerging young talent, which is a testament to the depth and strength of Indian wrestling today. We are confident that this balance of youth and experience will serve the team well as they prepare for the Asian Games, and I am certain our wrestlers will compete with determination, uphold the nation’s pride, and strive for podium finishes on the continental stage,” said Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Singh.

The Greco-Roman events were headlined by multiple-time Asian Championships medallist and 2023 Asian Games bronze medallist Sunil Kumar, who once again demonstrated why he remains India’s leading name in the discipline. The seasoned wrestler booked his place in the 87kg category with a clinical 3-1 win over Rohit Bura and will lead a Greco-Roman contingent that enters the Asian Games on the back of a highly successful run at the recent Asian Championships.

Joining Sunil in the Greco-Roman squad, Sumit secured the 60kg berth with a convincing 9-5 victory over Chetan, while Deepak emerged on top in the 67kg category after pinning Neeraj following an intense 10-6 contest. Aman edged out Vijay 6-5 in one of the closest bouts of the day to claim the 77kg spot, as Nitesh Kumar dominated the 97kg final with an emphatic 8-0 win over Abhimanu. In the heavyweight 130kg division, Deepanshu capped off the proceedings with a composed 5-1 victory over Ronak to seal his place in the Indian squad.

With the final men’s squad officially locked in, the selected grapplers will head directly into a rigorous national preparatory camp to fine-tune their strategies. This highly ambitious contingent will look to make history at the upcoming continental showpiece, aiming to significantly bolster India’s historic overall Asian Games wrestling tally of 65 medals and striving to break the nation’s previous best-ever single-edition medal record on the grandest stage in Asia.

–IANS

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