The New Indian Express ·
Asiad-bound Sujeet wins Worlds selection trials, confirms berth
CHENNAI: Among the new crop of wrestlers in the country, Sujeet Kalkal is definitely the one with the brightest future. The 23-year-old wrestler from Haryana has all the ingredients to be a world beater and his records on the mat this year are testimony to his growing stature. Sujeet once again charted a new path on Tuesday as he became the only Asian Games-bound wrestler to participate in the two-stage selection trials held to pick the Senior World Championships team. Expectedly, he won the trials in the 65kg weight category to confirm his place in the national team for the Worlds.
The Wrestling Federation of India gave wrestlers, who are scheduled to compete at the Asian Games, an option to skip the first stage and compete with the winners in the second and final stage for a place in the team for the Worlds. The selection policy was chalked out keeping the Japan multi-disciplinary event in mind. None of the selected wrestlers except Sujeet took part in the trials. The men's trials for Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers were held at SAI Centre in Lucknow. The trials for women were held at the IG Stadium, New Delhi on Monday.
"After the Asian Games, not much time will be left for the Worlds. We thought it's better to compete in the trials now and get it out of the way so that he can focus solely on the World Championships after returning from Japan," Dayanand Kalkal, Sujeet's father and coach, told this daily. The decision looks meaningful as had Sujeet skipped the trials, he would have to compete in a bout soon after returning from Asian Games and that too in close proximity with the Worlds, which is scheduled from October 24 to November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. "After Asiad, the World Championships is our target. The event is very important as it helps in gaining seedings for the Olympic qualifying events. A good seeding eventually will help in getting favourable draws in these qualifiers," added the father.
