National wrestling championships to host a galaxy of stars

As Ahmedabad gears up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a star-studded field – including Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, two-time Worlds medallist Antim Panghal, Asian champion Manisha Bhanwala, World under-23 champion Sujeet Kalkal and Olympian Nisha Dahiya – at the National wrestling championships, starting here on Friday, will contribute its share in building the image of the city as a sports hub.

After the Sports Ministry revoked the suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in March, the national federation is conducting the National championships with the participation of all its units, including Railways (which had denied permission to its wrestlers for earlier editions over the recognition issue).

This current edition, being held at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Naranpura, assumes significance as the wrestlers who have registered for the relaunch of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), scheduled to start on January 15, will use the platform to sharpen their skills.

The event will also be a launch-pad for the wrestlers ahead of a busy 2026 calendar, including the World championships and the Asian Games.

The WFI’s decision to revoke the suspension on Aman, who was suspended for being disqualified after jumping the weight limit in the World championships, has made him eligible to take part in the Nationals.

Promising Neha Sangwan, who also got a reprieve in similar circumstances, could not make it to the Nationals after losing to 62kg Asian champion Manisha (who dropped down to 57kg) in the Haryana state championships.

Both Aman and Antim will compete in heavier categories, in 61kg and 55kg instead of 57kg and 53kg respectively, to avoid the rigours of weight reduction.

“It’s heartening to see the top wrestlers at the Nationals. It lifts the standard of the event,” said Railways coach Kripa Shankar Patel.