Yogeshwar refuses to comment on Vinesh’s prospects

Vinesh Phogat and Yogeshwar Dutt

The upheavals in wrestling in the last two years have "severely affected" the growth of the sport in India, feels Olympic medallist grappler Yogeshwar Dutt, though he is still optimistic that the six-member Indian squad can win two medals at the Paris Games beginning on July 26.

Sustained protests by six of the country's top grapplers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh led to wrestling activities in India coming to a grinding halt for close to a year-and-a-half. Dutt refused to comment on Vinesh's prospects at the Games. The 2018 Jakarta Asian Games gold medallist was at the forefront of the protest against Brij Bhushan over his alleged sexual harassment of female grapplers.

Asked about Vinesh's chances in the 50kg category, a relatively uncharted territory for the 29-year-old as she has earned most of the laurels in 53kg, Dutt said, "See, five girls have qualified and women can win one maybe two medals. Some of them are very experienced as well. Be it Antim Panghal [the youngster who will compete in 53kg] or some other woman wrestler... so we have hope that we can win two medals. Olympics are never easy for anyone. Everyone has a dream of winning an Olympic medal. Our wrestlers have worked hard, they have some level of experience as well." Dutt also hoped that the wrestlers won't break the tradition of not returning empty-handed from the previous four successive Olympics.

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