Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced cash award of Rs three lakh each for Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat for winning bronze medals in the ongoing Women's World Wrestling Championship at Edmonton, Canada.
Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt's chances of the London Olympics medal being upgraded from bronze to silver is all but over but Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) claimed it was unaware of the development.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) of India has replaced Narsingh Yadav with Praveen Rana in the 74kg category of wrestling for Rio Olympics.
Star grappler Yogeshwar Dutt would seek to grab an Olympic quota place in his first opportunity when he spearheads a 17-member Indian campaign at the Asian Olympic Qualification wrestling championship, starting in Astana, Kazakhstan from Friday. It will be a tough three-day competition from March 18-20, considering that only the top two finishers in each weight category here will secure an Olympic berth for a country. This is the second qualifying event for the Rio Games. The first was held last year at the World Championship in Las Vegas, where just one Indian in Narsingh Yadav bagged a quota place for the country in Men's 74kg freestyle. With India's entry at Rio de Janeiro ensured in 74kg category, no one will be competing in this category. Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar also fights in the same weight division as Narsingh. Thus, the squad consists of five grapplers in men's freestyle, six in Greco-Roman and six in female wrestling. London Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar, who pulled out of the 2015 World Championship due to an injury, has the best chance of grabbing an Olympic berth for India as well as a medal.
Check out the complete schedule of Indian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics
All three are asymptomatic and have been moved to Sonepat's Bhagwan Mahavir Das Hospital as a precautionary measure.
Wrestling's international governing body, FILA has announced a rejig in weight classes for its competitions, including those of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a development which would lead to India's medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt moving up to a higher weight category.
As mostly sports-mad Mongolians cheer on the country's two medalists at the Rio Olympic Games, deepening economic troubles at home mean the new government cannot afford to pay its athletes.
Punia is the second seed in men's 65kg category in Tokyo, the one on whose shoulders rest India's hopes of winning the country's first Olympic gold in wrestling.
Dope-tainted Narsingh Yadav admitted that his career would be over if the four-year ban imposed on him by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) is not reviewed and said that the country should take up his case as India lost out on an Olympic medal in wrestling.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday
Rajiv Tomar became the third Indian grappler to qualify for the Beijing Olympics during a qualification tournament in Martigny, Switzerland. The Indian won silver in the 120 kg freestyle category in the event, held from April 18 to 20, and joined two other compatriots in the quadrennial mega extravaganza, a Wrestling Federation of India statement said.
A dominant Bajrang Punia overpowered his opponents with remarkable ease to claim gold medal in the men's freestyle 65 kg event at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Friday.
After Dahiya scripted one of the greatest comebacks on the mat, pictures revealed the deep bite mark on his right bicep.
India's impressive show in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games continued as their athletes added two gold and one bronze on the fourth day of competitions, in, Ashgabat, on Tuesday.
It's a sport that is synonymous with power for most, but India's Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik says her achievements on the mat are not just because of brawn but also brain.
Tokyo should remain the benchmark and source of inspiration till at least Paris 2024. In the shorter run, India's preparations for the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year must begin based on lessons learnt now, asserts Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary at the sports ministry.
Riding on her bronze medal finish at the Rio Olympic Games, Sakshi Malik entered the top-five in the latest UWW (United World Wrestling) rankings, rising to a career-best 4th position in women's 58kg category. Previously unranked, Sakshi, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an olympic medal, claimed the position in the latest list.
Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt's bronze medal from the London Olympics was upgraded to silver after silver medallist from the 2012 Games -- deceased Besik Kudukhov of Russia -- was stripped off his medal for using banned substance.
Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a telegram message on Sunday noting that visas would be issued for the Americans partly because of the decision by a US federal judge to "halt the execution of discriminatory restrictions against the entrance of Iranian citizens to America", IRNA reported.
Hardeep sprung a surprise by booking an Olympic quota place for India in Greco-Roman wrestling, which is not the country's forte, after making the 98kg category final on the last day of the Asian Olympic Qualification championship, in Astana, on Sunday.
After conceding a point, the Indian grappler was quick to pull back two points by overpowering his opponent and throwing him out of the mat.
'People taunted me, saying 'You are a woman, why are you wrestling?'
'Narsingh is a very senior wrestler and has done a fabulous job by sealing the Olympics berth.' 'But he needs to understand that the berth belongs to the country and not any individual.'
India's double Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar says the country's sports administrators did not take him seriously when he said he was offered to lose the 2010 World Championship final in Moscow in return for huge money.
India had a golden on Day 8 of the 2018 Commonwealth Games
P V Sindhu became the country's first-ever woman silver medal winner in the Olympic Games after coming second best against world champion Carolina Marin of Spain in a pulsating clash for the gold in the badminton singles on Day 14 of competition.
Six of them will fight in the freestyle category and one in Greeco-Roman.
India's total medal count stood at 252 (132 gold, 79 silver, 41 bronze), leaving behind hosts Nepal and Sri Lanka behind. Nepal has won 165 medals (45 gold, 44 silver, 76 bronze) while Sri Lanka have collected 197 medals (36 gold, 68 silver, 93 bronze).
The Indian contingent was left red-faced for the second time in 15 days after Gurpreet Singh became the latest wrestler to be disqualified from an Olympic qualification event for being overweight.
A turbulent run-up to the Rio Games behind him, Narsingh Yadav will be eyeing a fairytale climax while old warhorse Yogeshwar Dutt would look to bid adieu with a second straight medal when India begin their Olympic wrestling campaign on Monday.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar spearheaded a sparkling show as Indian grapplers dominated the wrestling arena with five gold medals.
Haryana on Wednesday honoured its 'daughter' Sakshi Malik by appointing her as brand ambassador of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign and presenting the Olympic bronze medallist a cheque of Rs 2.5 crore.
The Wrestling Federation of India is likely to pardon temporarily suspended Babita Kumari for forfeiting her bout in a recent qualifying event and allow her to compete at the Rio Games, as she secured an Olympic berth after her rival failed a dope test.
After ending India's agonising wait for an Olympic medal at the Rio Games with a bronze medal, Indian women wrestler Sakshi Malik said it was the result of her 12 years of persistent hard work.
Refusing to budge from its stance, the Wrestling Federation of India floated a new theory on Tuesday, alleging that some junior officials of the Sports Authority of India and National Anti Doping Agency are responsible for Narsingh Yadav being handed a four-year ban for doping.
Schedule of Indian athletes at the Beijing Olympics on August 20.
Yogeshwar Dutt's London Olympics bronze medal will not be upgraded to gold after the United World Wrestling (UWW) on Tuesday made it clear that the top-place finisher in men's 60kg freestyle -- Togrul Asgarov - never tested positive for a banned substance. "Contrary to news reports, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) has never been in violation of UWW's anti-doping policy," the world body tweeted from its official Twitter handle.
