India’s young wrestlers Anshu Malik and Sonam Malik put in fine performances at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, clinching qualification for the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Anshu, 19, and Sonam, 18, joined senior pro Vinesh Phogat (53kg) in qualifying for the Olympics, who had qualified in 2019. Overall, 7 Indian wrestlers have qualified for the Games.
Among the men, Bajrang Punia (65kg), Ravi Dahiya (57kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) have qualified in the men’s freestyle event.
While Anshu was dominant in 57kg competition, Sonam’s resilience eventually helped secure the quota, shutting the door on Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik.
Sonam announced her arrival by defeating Sakshi four times in recent trials, making the 62kg category her own.
Such was Anshu’s dominance that she conceded only two points en route the final, winning all her three bouts by technical superiority. She began by beating Korean Jieun Um, then outsmarted Kazak wrestler Emma Tissina and in the semifinal she beat Uzbekistan’s Shokhida Akhmedova.
Sonam edged China’s Jia Long 5-2 before winning by technical superiority against Hsin Ping Pai of Taipei.
In the semifinal, she trailed 0-6 against Kazakhstan’s Ayaulym Kassymova but reeled off nine points in a row to secure herself the quota.
“She has shown that she is ready for the senior circuit. Look what she has done. People had said that she is still at the cadet level but the consistent victories against Sakshi has boosted her confidence,” Sonam’s personal coach Ajmer Malik told PTI.
“She does not lose confidence or hope now even after conceding points. We are proud of her,” Ajmer, who runs Netaji Subash Chander Sports Institute at Village Madina in Sonepat district, said.
(With PTI Inputs)
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