The medal count was nowhere close to satisfactory at the senior level but junior performances held out hope for a brighter future as Indian wrestling searched for new stars in a challenging 2025.
Punia had trained in Russia to prepare for the trials, which are being organised by the IOA ad-hoc panel.
Indian wrestlers return with six medals
Aman Sehrawat missed out on securing a berth for the Paris Games after losing his semi-final at the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
Aman Sehrawat is the first Indian male wrestler to secure berth for the Paris Olympic Games
Olympian Deepak Punia skipped the national trials, in Patiala on Saturday.
India will go unrepresented in five categories at the upcoming Zagreb Open in Croatia as Bajrang Punia, Antim Panghal and three others didn't give consent for their selection to the ad-hoc panel that announced a 13-member team on Tuesday.
World championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, one of the country's top wrestlers, on Wednesday alleged that WFI president Singh has been sexually exploiting women wrestlers for years, a charge vehemently rejected by the BJP MP.
Unheralded Atish Todkar caused a huge upset by knocking out Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya with a sensational 'pin'.
Sumit joins the likes of Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) in men's freestyle and Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg) and Sonam Malik (62kg) in women weights for those who have qualified for the Olympics.
Suspended Indian wrestler Sumit Malik on Tuesday said he has no idea how a banned stimulant entered his body but admitted that he was on painkillers during the recent Olympic Qualifiers and had informed the world body about that before taking the mat.
The Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi answer what action he took against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh when issues were allegedly flagged to him by a wrestler in 2021.
If Sumit Malik's B sample also returns positive, he can be banned from the sport.
'The Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur) should speak out. The Prime Minister should speak out, there should be resignations, and heads should roll immediately.'
Services' wrestler Satender Malik launched a physical assault on referee Jagbir Singh after losing the 125kg final during the trials for the Commonwealth Games, prompting the national federation to impose a life ban on him, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Vinesh, a world championship medallist and Olympian, also claimed that several coaches at the national camp in Lucknow have also exploited women wrestlers, adding that there are a few women at the camp who approach wresters at the behest of the WFI President.
Ramdev heaped praise on Sushil Kumar's CWG feat
'We had planned a camp in Bahalgarh but since they would not be allowed to train for 14 days due to hard quarantine, we thought it is better they for the time being they train at their respective akhadas and then travel to Poland'.
Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra hopes India's medal haul can touch the double-digit mark in Tokyo, which will be an unprecedented achievement.
Sagaliuk's defeat in quarterfinals shut the repechage door on the Indian.
Bajrang staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 4-3 win against USA's Jordan Michael Oliver in the summit showdown of the 65kg freestyle category.
India has been battling a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced many countries to ban travellers from India.
While skill is not an issue with Vinesh, holding off strong candidates for six minutes is a big challenge, she herself had admitted recently.
Vinesh Phogat created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at the Asian Games, brushing aside her rivals with remarkable ease in the 50kg category.
The consistent attacks from both the wrestlers in the fast-paced final bout had the fans on the edge of their seats as close to 1500 gathered at IGI stadium to watch their favourite star in action.
There was no stopping the gold rush in wrestling as two more were added to the tally by Vinesh Phogat (50kg) and Sumit (125kg) but Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik (62kg) had to be content with a third-place finish in the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, on Saturday.
The swimmers led India's charge on Saturday by winning 7 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze as they completely dominated the pool yet again.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Frida
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances