LUCKNOW: It was a Sunday to remember for Aman Sehrawat, Sujeet Kalkal and Deepak Punia as they secured their berths for the Asian Games later this year. Despite the scorching heat outside, the wrestling hall at Lucknow’s SAI Centre was packed as over 150 wrestlers tried their luck.Watching the trials was men’s freestyle wrestling coach Shako Bentinidis, who joined the national camp here. The Georgian Shako has been reappointed with the Asian Games in mind, particular focus being on Kalkal, the reigning U23 world champion in 65kg, whom Bentinidis believes has the potential to become an Olympic medallist.
Men’s wrestling trials for Asian Games is going on in Lucknow.
But, pointed out Shako, Kalkal must further sharpen his technical skills to dominate the highly competitive 65kg category. “Sujeet has won ranking series tournaments and is a world champion at the U23 level, but the Olympic Games are different. The Olympics are not just about wrestling, they are about psychology, preparation and handling pressure,” Shako told TOI.The Georgian was particularly impressed by Sujeet’s physical gifts and defensive abilities. “First it was Sushil Kumar, then Bajrang and now Sujeet,” he said while assessing the wrestler, “When Sujeet adds a little more quality to his technical wrestling, he can beat anybody. He has amazing power, very good defence and great potential. He can become even better.On the mat meanhwhile, Sehrawat looked composed before stepping onto the mat, then controlled the 57kg division throughout. He beat Rupesh 10-0 by technical superiority in the semifinal and followed it up with an 11-1 win over Rahul in the final.In 65kg, Kalkal impressed with his intensity and attacking approach. He defeated Nikhil 10-0 by technical superiority in the semifinal and then edged Vishal 2-0 in the final to book his first-ever Asian Games spot.Speaking to TOI, Kalkal said he followed in the footsteps of his father Dayanand Kalkal, a former wrestler who served in the army and represented India at the senior World Championships. He said he handled the pressure of the trials with calmness and positivity after missing out previously, calling this selection “the first step” toward his bigger goal of representing India at the Olympics.Meawnhilem, while expressing his love for India and sharing fond memories during his previous four-year stint, Shako was critical of the Indian coaching system, rejecting the suggestion that Indian coaches are poor, noting that the country could not have produced champions such as Sushil Kumar and Bajrang without capable guidance. “Otherwise we (India) would not have taken so many medals,” he ponted out.Yet, he added, “Every coach needs the next step. Some coaches work in academies for 20 years but never attend international camps or competitions. Wrestling is changing all the time. If you stop learning, you stay where you are.”According to Shako, simply watching international wrestling online is not enough. “You learn wrestling in camps. You watch techniques closely, you see mistakes, you understand how elite wrestlers train and prepare. That experience cannot come only from watching videos,” he explained.Results: Freestyle Final: 57 kg: Aman Sehrawat def. Rahul (11-1); 65kg: Sujeet Kalkal def. Vishal (2-0); 74kg: Sagar Jaglan def. Jaideep (8-6); 86kg: Mukul def. Amit (4-2); 97kg: Deepak Punia def. Jointy Kumar (8-0); 125kg: Rajat Rahul def. Dinesh (10-6).Greco-Roman Final: 60kg: Sumit def. Chetan (9-5); 67kg: Deepak def. Neeraj (10-6, Victory by Pin/Fall); 77kg: Aman beat Vijay (6-5); 87kg: Sunil beat Rohit Bura (3-1); 97kg: Nitesh Kumar beat Abhimanu (8-0); 130kg: Deepanshu Beats Ronak (5-1).