The Hindu : Sport / Weightlifting : 21-member team for World championship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007
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Sport - Weightlifting

21-member team for World championship

Principal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Anil Kumar Mann, the best grappler in the Commonwealth Games, is the notable omission from the Indian team that is getting ready to fly to Baku for the World wrestling championship that begins there on September 17.

At the Commonwealth championship in Ontario (Canada) in June, Mann struck two gold medals, in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in the 96kg class, but at the trials conducted in NIS, Patiala, he failed to make the grade. The 21-member team is currently training in Patiala and will leave for Baku on Saturday after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) secured necessary Government sanction for the tour.

“The Sports Ministry has given its approval for the World championship tour, but still a major part of the expenditure will have to be borne by us,” the WFI President, G.S. Mandher, said.Palwinder Singh Cheema has made a return and will spearhead the Indian challenge. After winning the bronze at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Cheema has been struggling to find form at international stage.

This is the right time for Cheema to prove himself as the top eight finishers in each weight category will get a ticket to Beijing Olympics.

The World championship is the first Olympic qualifying tournament and offers the most spots for Beijing.

The grapplers will have three more Olympic qualifiers early next year besides the Asian championship to make it to the 2008 Olympics.

In the women’s section, though all seven weight categories will be represented, wrestlers in only four weight classes will get Olympic berths.

In Olympics, women’s wrestling competition is conducted in only four weight categories, 48kg, 55kg, 63kg and 72kg.

The team:

Men: Freestyle: Anil Kumar (55kg), Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg), Sushil Kumar (66kg), Ramesh Kumar (74kg), Rambir (84kg), Rohit Patel (96kg), Palwinder Singh Cheema (120kg). Coaches: Vinod Kumar and G.S. Sanga.

Greco-Roman: K.L. Yadav (55kg), Ravinder Singh (60kg), Sunil Kumar (66kg), Bhupinder Thakur (74kg), Manoj Kumar (84kg), Randhir Singh (96kg), Devender (120kg). Coaches: Hargobind Singh and Priywart.

Women: Nirmal (48kg), Babita (51kg), Alka Tomar (55kg), Kamlesh (59kg), Geetika Jakhar (63kg), Suman Kundu (67kg), Minakshi (72kg). Coaches: S.R. Sangha and Ramani Chanu.

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