New Delhi: Vinesh Phogat, a key face in the protests against sexual assault accused former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh, on Saturday, qualified for the Paris Olympics to be held in July this year.
The two-time olympian has become the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for a third Olympics, ESPN reported.
Phogat defeated Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy 10-0 to win the quota spot in the 50-kg category. Two other Indian wrestlers, Anshu Malik (57kg) – the 2021 World Championships silver medallist – and Reetika (76kg), the U23 world champion, also secured their spots after reaching the finals in their respective weight categories, the report said.
The 29-year-old gold medalist is among the several women wrestlers who accused Singh, a sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MP, of sexual assault last year and was at the helm of the protests against him along with fellow wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.
Phogat claimed that she has been at the receiving end of death threats in the run up to the Olympic qualifiers and saw a vicious hate campaign unfold against her with Singh, and many others, questioning her abilities.
Also read: Stalking, Running Hands Over Breasts, Threats: Accusations Against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in FIRs
The quota spot, however, doesn’t guarantee the qualifying wrestlers a chance to compete in Paris. As per the Sanjay Singh-led federation’s selection policy, “The selection committee of WFI will have the discretion to hold a trial for participation in the Olympic Games.
However, it will not be compulsory that all the quota earned wrestlers will be asked to appear in trials. And if the trials are held, the quota winner will not appear in the initial trials in that particular category; rather he/she will compete with the winner of those trials. And if the quota-winner loses the bout to the trials’ winner, he/she will be given one more chance to keep the quota through a second bout against the same opponent,” a Times of India report said.
