Wrestling News: 2018 was the break out year for Pooja Dhanda. The wrestler won the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games followed by a bronze at the Budapest worlds. But a series of injuries post that halted her rise to the top. She spent the majority of her 2019 in rehabilitation missing out on 2019 world championships and a chance for qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. However, the deferment of the Games due to Covid-19 has come as a silver lining for the wrestler who has now set her sight for the national trials ahead of the quadrennial extravaganza. “It has given me time to tune up my body and polish my skills. My main focus is to stay healthy and gradually build up for challenging domestic trials next year,” she said reported Hindustan Times.
Pooja competes in the 57kg weight category. During the selection trials in January, the last chance to make the cut, she lost to 18-year-old Anshu Malik for the top spot in her weight for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers which were scheduled for March. The event was cancelled due to the pandemic. The continental Olympic qualifiers have been rescheduled for 2021.
The 26-year-old says cancellation of international calendar and delay in Tokyo Olympics has given her a chance to kickstart her dream. “The selection process will begin from scratch for the continental and world qualifying cycle. It will be one big opportunity for me to bounce back,” HT report quoted the youth Olympic medallist.
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Slow and steady wins the race
With the covid-19 cases rising at an exponential rate in India, Dhanda is not so keen on returning to the mat anytime soon. “I do not want to spar with local wrestlers as I am not aware whether they followed all the precaution such as social distancing after training or not” adding that “slow and steady is the norm as there are no competition scheduled in this year”. On how long would take to return to top form, she says that it will take six to eight weeks to reach her previous form once she hits the mat.
Thoughts on World Championship this year
United World Wrestling (UWW) had last week announced that it is planning to host world championship this year in December. While some Indian wrestlers have welcomed the decision, Dhand expressed her worries for it. The current situation, she says, is too grave for anything to resume. “It is good news, no doubt about it. With competitions resuming we will get our form back and get back to our old life,” she said. “However, it is also true that there seems no end to the coronavirus pandemic. It is risky to resume anything. I guess we just have to start living with it and start training with all precautionary measures”.
The World Championships is being planned to be held in Serbia. Dhanda despite the worries is optimistic about the future. “We still have six months to control Covid-19. So, let us hope for the best,” she sighed off.