Trailblazing Aditi calls time on near two-decade career
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Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Vaishnavi Patil's breakthrough after heartbreaking misses, from mud wrestling Maharashtra to World Championships squad
Audible gasps went around as Vaishnavi Patil of Maharashtra took down Muskan of Haryana to win the trial for the World Wrestling Championships berth in the 65kg category at the wrestling hall at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The atmosphere was a measure of the unexpectedness of her triumph, and the most excited were the coach and the wrestlers cheering for Vaishnavi. The 22-year-old from Kalyan, Maharashtra, won an India berth for an international event for the first time, and that too for the most prestigious tournament there is, making her win even grander. Vaishnavi saw Sakshi Malik on the Olympic podium for the first time during the 2016 Rio Olympics and decided to take up wrestling on the mat. Maharashtra has a huge culture of mud wrestling, like Haryana, but it barely transitions to mat wrestling. However, Vaishnavi was adamant about taking up the sport she saw on TV after wrestling in mud. 'When I saw Sakshi Malik for the first time in 2016, I knew I wanted to do this. Mat wasn't available in my area, and I used to wrestle just in mud,' Vaishnavi told The Indian Express on the sidelines. After wrestling for four years in mud, she made the switch in 2020 and shifted to Hisar to train under her coach Jasbeer at the Sushil Kumar Akhada. 'I am processing it right now. I have been constantly coming for trials, but I always miss out on the final berth. This feels like all of my hard work is finally paying off. However, this is just the start, and I have to win many more such matches,' said Vaishnavi, who was ecstatic and almost breathless after many photo requests after her win. Vaishanvi has been a consistent presence in the wrestling selection events for the past four years. She participated in trials for the Asian Games, Asian Championships and also for the previous World Championships in 2023. However, losses in the semis and quarters would mean that she could never celebrate. 'During my earlier losses, I would get depressed and sometimes wouldn't eat after going back to the academy. But my parents and my coach would always ask me to trust the process. My father always said that your hard work is never in vain. I was losing every time, but I knew that I didn't have to leave my zidd to get better,' said Vaishnavi. Usually, athletes start early from the junior level in the sport of wrestling and progress gradually through the ranks to play at the senior level. Vaishanvi, however, will be playing directly at the World Championships without any pedigree at the junior level internationally, but purely with her never-say-die attitude. Usually, athletes are scouted by coaches, but Vaishnavi did the reverse and scouted a coach for herself. During the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games in Assam, Vaishnavi saw students from a certain academy doing well and asked her father to enquire about them. 'We saw Jasbeer's sir girls doing well, and I asked my father to check where his academy is.' After enquiring about the whereabouts, the Patil family traveled all the way from Kalyan to Hisar. 'After we came to Hisar, Coach Saab took me into his academy, and I started working slowly on my skills. I knew I had to work more than others,' she said. Her coach, Jasbeer, concurred that there was a lot of work to be done before Vaishnavi got ready to take on other wrestlers. 'Zameen aur aasmaan ka farq hai jab aayi thi aur ab mein,' Jasbeer said (There is a huge difference now from when she came here). 'She is hard hard-working kid, and after training her for the past five years, today I am the happiest. I had goosebumps sitting in the corner when Vaishnavi won the bout.' Back in Kalyan, Dilip Patil received multiple congratulatory messages and calls from journalists enquiring about his family history amid a busy day in his dhaba. 'My phone is buzzing and all of us here are very happy,' Patil told The Indian Express. 'When I sent her to train in Haryana, the only dream was that my kid represents India at the highest level.' The Patil family would take turns staying with Vaishnavi. 'Sometimes her mother would stay with her for six months, sometimes her brother, and sometimes me. This time, Coach Saab told us not to worry.' Vaishnavi would stay in Hisar for the majority of the year, but would go back to Maharashtra to fight in Dangals. 'She would go back to fight dangals, but this time I asked her parents to let her be with me as I was able to see that she is progressing rapidly,' Jasbeer said. While this is just the first step, Vaishnavi knows where she stands and what needs to be done. 'I was waiting for one chance, and I have gotten it after so many defeats, I won't let it go in vain.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Antim makes the cut for wrestling worlds, eyes her second medal
New Delhi: Antim Panghal cruised through the selection trials to confirm her spot at the Wrestling World Championships, scheduled to take place in Zagreb, Croatia from September 13 to 21. Antim Panghal (blue) and Hinaben compete in the 53 kg event during trials for the World Wrestling Championships 2025 at Indira Gandhi Arena, in New Delhi. (PTI) The gap between Antim and her rivals in the 53kg category was evident at the IG Stadium here on Sunday. She dominated the competition, defeating Pooja 6-0 and then overpowering Hinaben Khalifa of Gujarat 11-0 in the final. At just 21, Antim has already made her mark on the global stage, winning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships. While she has no real domestic challenger at the moment, her true test lies in asserting herself consistently at the international level. With her recent performances, Antim is widely regarded as India's top woman wrestler and seen as the natural successor to Vinesh Phogat – one of the most prominent figures in Indian wrestling. A two-time world junior champion, Antim has made a seamless transition to the senior circuit. Her medal-winning performances at the 2023 Asian Games and World Championships, besides qualifying for the Paris Olympics, underline her rising stature in the sport. However, the Paris Games campaign was a disappointment. Apart from her first-round exit, her behaviour off the mat also drew criticism following an off-field controversy involving her personal coaching team. This season, Antim has let her performances do the talking, although there were some disciplinary concerns because of her absence from the national camp, which prompted the Wrestling Federation of India to issue a stern warning. A proposal to train abroad with her personal coach was also not entertained. Antim seems to have put all that behind. She is boosted by winning two UWW international ranking series events this year. 'World Championships is the main competition this year and I am happy that I was able to seal the berth. I won a bronze in 2023 and my aim is to improve the colour of my medal,' Antim told HT. 'After Paris, I focused on my fitness and getting back on the mat. I missed the national championships but came back to the national team after winning the selection trials (Asian Championships).' This season she has competed in three meets and finished on the podium in all of them. A bronze at the Asian meet in Jordan in March was followed by gold at Ulaanbaatar Open in May and Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial in July, where she won 10-0 against Turkey's Zeynep Yetgil, who eliminated her in Paris. 'I think I am at a good level. I was able to comfortably beat her (Yetgil). I am more mature now, though there's still a lot to learn. But now I am able to execute my plans better. Earlier, I was just going there and competing without much understanding of the game situation and my opponents.' Asked about the Paris controversy, Antim said she felt down for some time because it was not her fault. 'There was some confusion in the entire episode. There was a lot of pressure on me and I could not deliver in Paris. I felt bad but my family and people around me were a very big support. If I have made any mistake then they would tell me. The training at national camp with different sparring partners has helped. I am now more attacking. 'This is a comeback for me and I am looking at bigger goals. Yes, the World Championships is the first target, then Asian Games and LA 2028 qualification.' While Antim is the most experienced and strongest medal prospect for the worlds, there were some promising junior wrestlers who made it to the squad. The WFI, on the suggestion of the national coaches, allowed the medallists of U20 Worlds and U20 Asian meets also to participate. 'We are building the team for the LA Olympics and that's why the juniors were also asked to appear for the trials. The result is impressive. It's mostly a young team (18-20 year-olds) full of exciting new talents who have replaced the seniors,' said chief coach Virender Dahiya. 'We want to win medals but we will keep an eye on how they progress at this world championships,' he said. Paris Olympian Nisha Dahiya (68kg) lost the trials to eventual winner Radika, while four juniors Tapasya (57kg), Jyoti Berwal (72kg), Neha Sangwan (59kg) and Priya Malik (76kg) won in different categories. They won the world junior trials a week ago and the senior trials on Sunday. All eyes were also on Vaishnavi Patil (65kg), the wrestler from Maharashtra who made it to the team beating Haryana's Muskan 7-2 in the final. Vaishnavi might not be from wrestling powerhouse Haryana but she has been training in Hisar at Sushil Kumar Akhada. She switched base four years back as there were not many academies with good facilities in Maharashtra and the move has paid off. Team: Ankush (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Nishu (55kg), Tapasya (57kg), Neha Sangwan (59kg), Manisha (62kg), Vaishnavi Patil (65kg), Radhika (68kg), Jyoti Berwal (72kg), Priya Malik (76kg).
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Antim Panghal Has It Easy At World Championship Trials, Vaishnavi Patil, Manisha Bhanwala Also Lock Places
Easily the most successful wrestler among the contenders at the World Championship trials, Antim Panghal sealed her berth in the Indian team without much fuss in the women's 53kg weight class while Vaishnavi Patil (65kg) and Manisha Bhanwala (62kg) also qualified with impressive show in New Delhi Sunday. All of 20 and already a medal winner at the senior Worlds, Asian Games and the Asian Championships, Antim outplayed Madhya Pradesh's Pooja and Gujarat's Hinaben without conceding a point to emerge winner. She had made headlines by becoming the country's first U20 World champion in 2022 and also qualified for the 2024 Paris Games but she returned from the Olympics surrounded in controversy. She not only faded on the mat in Paris, but also courted a major controversy by sending her sister to the Games Village on her accreditation card. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) contemplated disciplinary action but stopped short. Recently, she wanted to train abroad with her personal coach but WFI shot down the proposal and asked her to train at the national camp. Asked about the tough time she endured after the Paris Olympics, Antim admitted making "mistakes" but insisted it was solely due to lack of awareness rather than some mischief on her part. "The federation did not have any issue with me. There was confusion, I also made mistake. I did not realise that it was getting out of hand. Olympics is different from Asian Games and World Championships. I did not know much. "There was a Games village, which was also there at the Asian Games but we had stayed at a hotel in the Asian Games (Hangzhou), there was confusion, I had never experienced such an environment. There was pressure and I spoilt my bouts due to that," she said. "Then I was asked to be at the camp. The federation has been helpful, I was sent to two tournaments where I won gold." Antim said, she never gets over-confident. "I never take things for granted. Bouts can go either way. A few times, I have played into the hands of my rivals instead of following my own style but I have made amends now." The wrestler from Hisar said training at the national camp is equally good. "I get good sparring partners in 55 and 57kg categories, if not in my 53kg category." As is her style, Antim stayed aggressive with her tactics during the trials on Sunday at the IG Stadium. Her double-leg attack strategy worked against Pooja and she overpowered Hinaben with right-leg attacks in the final. Antim employed the 'fitley' at the first opportunity to roll Pooja thrice to race to a 6-0 lead. The move caused a knee injury to her rival, who could not continue after that. While Hinaben fought well against Juli, Antim proved to be a very tough nut to crack. Antim was technically and tactically more sound as she won the bout by technical superiority. It's largely a young team with only a few 20-plus wrestlers, who have qualified for the Worlds, set to be held in Zagreb from September 13-21. Not many entries were received, making for small-sized draws. Yet, the 65kg class offered some stiff competition in which Maharashtra's Vaishnavi Patil won. Competing against Freedom Yadav, she trailed 0-4 only to win 10-6, while she trumped Muskan 7-2. Vaishnavi's fast movement, solid defence, counter attacks and the ability to turn adverse situation to her advantage worked very well for her. In the 62kg category, only Manisha and Mansi Ahlawat competed and the former prevailed 2-0. The two were largely engaged in standing wrestling. Manisha succeeded in overpowering Mansi, never letting her make her moves. In 72kg, Jyoti erased a huge 0-6 deficit to pip Harshita 11-6 while in 76kg, Priya Malik beat seasoned Kiran 4-2. The other winners were: Ankush (50kg), Nishu (55kg), Tapasya (57kg), Neha (59kg), and Srishti (68kg).
