Antim Panghal Under Pressure Ahead of Budapest Ranking Series

Stay updated with the latest news on Antim Panghal’s performance and preparation for the Budapest Ranking Series. Follow her journey as she faces tough competition in the world of wrestling.

Everyone is going to be watching Antim Panghal when she competes at the International Ranking Series in Budapest on June 6th. This will be the first time she’s competed in eight months, so it’s a big deal! She’s a 53kg wrestler, so it’s going to be exciting to see how she does against the competition.

The girl who won third place at the world championships hasn’t been in any competitions since last October when she won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games. She didn’t participate in the selection trials in March or the Asian Championships in April. The Paris Olympics are coming up soon, so everyone is wondering how she’s doing and if she’s ready to compete in Hungary.

Since there isn’t a big wrestling camp happening right now, the best wrestlers are practicing at their own training centers. Antim, who is 20 years old, hasn’t been in any matches for a while and nobody knew how she was getting ready. So, the head coach of the women’s team, Virender Dahiya, had a chat with her last week to see how she’s doing.

About Her Fitness

“I just wanted to inquire about her preparation. She said she is fit and maintaining her weight. She said she will provide her weight before going to Budapest,” Dahiya said.

Indian wrestling has been going through a rough time lately, especially since last year. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) decided not to have a final selection trial, which has made a lot of people upset.

Antim’s competitors have been talking to WFI and asking for a trial to see if she is ready to compete. “There should be a trial in the 53kg category. Antim hasn’t been in any matches for a while, so we don’t know if she’s in good shape. There are rumors that she got hurt,” said a coach of another wrestler in her weight class.

When asked about Antim’s condition, her trainer Bhagat Singh said she is all set and excited for the ranking series.

When asked why Antim hasn’t competed this year, even though there were two national championships in February, Singh explained that she has been getting ready for the Paris Olympics.

“Time is less for preparation. Antim anyway appeared in so many trials last year – for World Championships, Asian Games – and then won the berth,” he said.

Antim used to train at the Hisar center, but it closed in November. Now she trains at the Sports Authority of India center in town, with Singh by her side. She’s in great shape and excited for the ranking series.

A Rising Star

Last September, Antim made history by becoming the first Indian wrestler to secure an Olympic quota at the world championships. Vinesh Phogat, Anshu Malik, Nisha Dahiya, Reetika Hooda, and Aman Sehrawat also earned their spots recently. They all had to compete in selection trials before the Olympic qualifiers.

All the quota winners, except for Vinesh, asked WFI not to have selection trials. The selection committee of WFI agreed and decided to send the quota winners to Paris without trials. But, the federation mentioned that they will still review the performance of all qualified wrestlers in the ranking series in Budapest.

Former international wrestler and Railways coach Kripa Shankar Patel said: “Trials should have been held in each weight category because it is important to assess their current form and fitness. Ravi Dahiya (Tokyo silver medallist), Sarita Mor (worlds medallist), Shivanee Pawar, Anju all were preparing for the trials.”

Antim is likely to feel the pressure to prove her form and fitness in the ranking event.