Wrestling News : Sakshi Malik to compete in national championship, Pooja wants to skip

Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik will be competing in 62kg category in national championship scheduled in Agra, whereas wrestler Pooja Dhanda has decided to skip nationals in a bid to compete in 57kg, where she will have to lose weight and train for the same. Only one woman wrestler has so far qualified for Tokyo Summer Games from India, and five weight categories (50, 57, 62, 68, and 76) are still up for grabs with two qualifiers (Asian and world) scheduled in April and May this year. Sakshi represented India in 65kg in the Individual World Cup held in Serbia in December as Sonam competed in her preferred weight category (62kg). Both lost their respective first bouts to bow out of the tournament leaving the weight category open for selection for the qualifiers. The path to qualifiers will be tougher for another veteran wrestler, Pooja Dhanda, whose main competitor will be Anshu Malik in 57kg category. Keeping in mind what happened at wrestling Nationals in Noida, Wrestling Federation of India has instructed Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association to ensure Covid-19 protocols are not violated.