NEW DELHI: Sujeet Kalkal, the reigning U23 Asian champion, spoke out against the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) decision to grant direct entry to Bajrang Punia for the upcoming Asian Games. Kalkal criticised the IOA ad-hoc committee, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, for exempting Bajrang Punia (65kg freestyle) and Vinesh Phogat (53kg) from the Asian Games trials, scheduled on July 22-23, which he believes is unfair to the next generation of wrestlers with Olympic aspirations.
"I had wrestled with Bajrang a year back during the (Birmingham) Commonwealth Games trials, which was very close. During the trials, Bajrang was handed a direct semifinals entry and we had to contest all the bouts," said Kalkal, the reigning senior national champion and last year's Junior Asian gold medallist.
Proving his point further, Kalkal highlighted his recent victory against American John Michael Diakomihalis with a comprehensive 8-2 margin, while Bajrang had previously lost to the same wrestler by technical superiority in the World Championships last year.
"For the World Championships too (in 2022), Bajrang was given entry to compete without trials. The American wrestler (Yianni Diakomihalis) against whom Bajrang lost 0-10, I have beaten him the World Ranking series 8-2," he asserted.
Kalkal emphasised that he is not the only wrestler capable of challenging Bajrang's prowess, stating, "I don't say that only I can beat Bajrang. There are no less than 5-6 wrestlers in our weight category who can beat Bajrang. That's why all the wrestlers should get equal opportunity, and a fair trial should be held."
Expressing his aspirations to become an Olympic champion, Kalkal raised concerns about the impact of direct entries for established wrestlers like Bajrang and Vinesh on the dreams of emerging talents.
"It is also my dream to become an Olympic champion but if these wrestlers (like Bajrang and Vinesh) keep getting direct entries, then how will we fulfil our dreams," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
