Despite the controversy surrounding Vinesh Phogat that stirred the selection trials for the Asian Games, wrestlers from Haryana delivered a powerful performance by capturing nearly all the berths in the squad for the continental showpiece, scheduled to be hosted by Japan in September-October. Even most of the runners-up hailed from the state, alongside many others who fell in earlier rounds.
Men's Freestyle Category
In the men's freestyle section, the selected wrestlers include Aman Sehrawat (57kg) from Birohar village in Jhajjar district, Sujeet Kalkal (65kg) from Imlota village in Charkhi Dadri district, Sagar Jaglan (74kg) from Panipat district, Mukul Dahiya (86kg) from Fatehpur village in Sonepat district, Deepak Punia (97kg) from Chhara village of Jhajjar district, and Rajat Ruhal (125kg) from Rohad village of Jhajjar district.
Women's Category
In the women's category, Haryana wrestlers are set to represent the country in all six weight classes. Deepanshi (50kg) hails from Rohtak district, Antim Panghal (53kg) from Bhagana village of Hisar district, Manisha Bhanwala (57kg) from Panipat, Mansi Ahlawat (62kg) from Jind district, Nisha Dahiya (68kg) from Sonepat district, and Priya Malik (72kg) from Jind district.
Greco-Roman Category
In the Greco-Roman category, Sumit (60kg) is from Mandothi village of Jhajjar district, Aman (77kg) from Rohna village of Sonepat district, Sunil Kumar (87kg) from Sonepat, Nitesh (97kg) from Jagsi village in Panipat district, and Deepanshu (130kg) from Rohtak district. Deepak (67kg) belongs to a bordering village in Delhi, though he practices in an akhara in Bahadurgarh town of Haryana.
Coaches and Historians Weigh In
Praveen Dahiya, a freestyle coach at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi who belongs to Sonepat district, noted that youth in Haryana have long had a passion for wrestling. "Parents have been encouraging their sons and daughters to pursue sports as a career. Facilities at village and block levels, especially in Rohtak, Jhajjar, and Sonepat districts, have contributed to the maximum share of wrestling participants in national events and international representation," he said. He added that even district-level players from this region are capable of competing at the national level, and all six selected freestyle wrestlers are in government jobs.
Tejpal Dalal, a wrestling historian from Mandothi village of Jhajjar district, remarked that while Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh used to produce good wrestlers earlier, Haryana now completely dominates the Indian wrestling arena. "In the trials for the Asian Games, about 80 per cent of the total participants were from Haryana. Given the current scenario, both the state government and the Centre need to take steps to promote wrestling on a larger scale so that India can become a dominant force at the Olympic level," he said.
