Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik set to take part in National Wrestling C'ships

The upcoming Senior National Wrestling Championships that will be held in Jalandhar, Punjab from November 29 to December 1 will attract attention for a number of reasons. For the first time ever, the Nationals will be streamed live in India and in the sub-continent, thus allowing the fans a chance to watch over 500 wrestlers vying for the top honours.

The competition will also feature the two top guns - Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik in the 55 kg and 62 kg weight categories respectively. While Phogat has already sealed a Tokyo 2020 Olympic berth after she won bronze in the World Wrestling Championships, Malik is a former Olympic bronze medalist, having bagged the award in the Rio 2016 Games.

The other wrestlers who will be taking part in the National Wrestling Championships include Divya Kakran (68 kg), Seema Bisla (50 kg), Sarita More (57 kg) and Navjot Kaur (65 kg) in the women's category. Wrestlers like Greco Roman ace Sajan (77kg) along with freestyle wrestlers Gaurav Baliyan (74kg), Sumit Malik (125kg), Satywart Kadian (97kg) and Rahul Mann (70 kg) will compete in the men's competition.

The Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is hopeful that the initiative to telecast the Championships would further help in popularizing the sport.

Much to play for Vinesh and Sakshi in the Wrestling National Championships

The two stalwarts, Vinesh and Sakshi, are running in opposite directions, with the former looking all set to play in next year's mega event, while Malik is still grappling with inconsistencies and injuries. Vinesh, currently the number two ranked boxer in the 53 kg weight division, won her maiden World Championship medal this year, which allowed her entry into next year's Olympics.

The scenes of a teary-eyed Vinesh being stretched out of the arena in the Rio Games after she was injured in a bout remains fresh in memory, and the 25-year old will be eager to get as much practise under her belt so she can enter Tokyo in blazing form.

Sakshi, on the other hand, has recently been dropped from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and her form has gone downhill after she won bronze in Rio. She crashed out in the opening round of the World Championships this year.

Sakshi is yet to qualify for the Olympics, and will have two more events - the Asian Qualification Tournament (from 27th March to 29th March 2020 in China) and the World Qualification Tournament, where the top two wrestlers in each category will advance to Olympics, to seal a spot for Tokyo. The World Qualification event will be held in Bulgaria from 30th April to 3rd May 2020.

She, thus, will be looking at the National Championships to regain her lost touch and enter 2020 with some confidence.