Tokyo Games medalists Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya have been eliminated from contention for qualification for the Paris Olympics on Sunday. This occurred following their losses in their respective bouts during the selection trials for upcoming international tournaments.
Bajrang Punia fails to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
He was defeated by Rohit Kumar by a HUGE margin of 9-1.
No wonder these wrestlers wanted direct entry to the Olympics without any trials. pic.twitter.com/hYNVNusWrD
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) March 10, 2024
Punia, known for his vocal opposition against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, suffered a significant 1-9 defeat in the men’s freestyle 65kg semifinal against Rohit Kumar.
Had Ravinder not conceded a caution point in the bout, Punia would have been out of the competition from the outset.
Following his elimination, Punia abruptly left the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre without staying back for the third-fourth place bout or providing samples for a dope test. Despite winning a case in the Delhi High Court, arguing that the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) lacked authority to conduct trials, Punia’s training efforts in Russia didn’t yield the desired outcome in the IOA ad-hoc panel’s trials.
In the challenging men’s 57kg category, contested in Nordic format, the competition was intense with both Tokyo Games silver medalist Ravi Dahiya and emerging talent Aman Sehrawat vying for qualification.
Dahiya, returning from injury, lost a closely contested opening bout 13-14 to Aman, who has been making a name for himself with consistent performances, including a medal at nearly all tournaments in 2023 when Dahiya was absent. Despite Dahiya’s late push, Aman managed to secure victory.
Dahiya’s hopes were further dashed as he lost the subsequent bout to U20 Asian champion Udit, resulting in his elimination from the competition. Both Dahiya and Aman train at the Chhatarsal Stadium.
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