New-look Indian wrestling team set for U23 Worlds amid visa woes

A fresh Indian wrestling team is set for the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas. Following a strict WFI policy for new rosters, the team faces a setback as US visa delays threaten the participation of several Greco-Roman and women's wrestlers.

Having come through a rigorous national trial process, a fresh batch of Indian wrestlers is set to test its mettle on the global stage at the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas starting October 12, even as visa delays threaten to shrink the squad size.

WFI's Fresh Roster Policy

In line with the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) strict policy this season of fielding separate squads for tightly packed international assignments, a precedent heavily enforced during the recent Asian Games and Senior World trials, the federation has ensured a completely fresh roster for the Las Vegas event. This directive prevents top athletes from overlapping across senior and age-group events, paving the way entirely for a new line of domestic trial winners, as per a press release.

Key Grapplers and Career Stepping Stone

Spearheaded by Rohit (57kg) in men's freestyle, Sweety (53kg) in women's wrestling, and Vishvajit More (55kg) in Greco-Roman, the squad features several grapplers looking to build on their past international success. For this young contingent, the tournament serves as a critical stepping stone to transition to the senior circuit.

Visa Delays Pose Hurdle

However, the federation’s plans have hit an administrative hurdle. While the full 10-member men's freestyle team is cleared to travel, the final starting lineup for the Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling categories remains in limbo, with several grapplers yet to receive their US visa clearances.

Championship Schedule

The championships will begin with Greco-Roman action (Oct 12-14) and the women's events (Oct 14-16), before concluding with the men's freestyle competitions (Oct 16-18).

Confirmed Indian Squad

Confirmed Indian Squad (Pending final visa clearances for Greco-Roman, Women's Wrestling):
Men’s Freestyle: Rohit (57kg), Vaibhav Narayan Patil (61kg), Singh Jaskaran (65kg), Sumit Kumar Laxman Bharaskar (70kg), Adarsh Yuvraj Patil (74kg), Chandermohan (79kg), Amit (86kg), Nikhil (92kg), Shivam (97kg), Ronak (125kg).
Women’s Wrestling: Sweety (53kg), Komal (59kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), Amruta Shashikant Pujari (72kg), Diksha Malik (76kg).
Greco-Roman : Vishvajit Ramchandra More (55kg), Chetan (63kg), Sagar Singh (67kg), Sourav Rana (72kg), Karan Kamboj (87kg). (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)