Vinesh Phogat is eyeing a comeback with the Asian Games and World Championships in sight

Vinesh Phogat, eyeing a comeback to the mat, has sent her entry for the Senior Open Ranking Tournament in Nandini Nagar, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, from May 10-12. Vinesh’s entry has been received in the 57kg weight class, confirmed an official of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

There are two major tournaments this year—the Asian Games and the World Championships—and Vinesh has her sights on both. For Vinesh to make it to the India team, she will have to finish among the medallists in the ranking tournament and hope that the WFI allows her participation in the selection trials for the Asian Games.

As per the current selection policy of the WFI for the Asian Games, all medallists of the 2025 Senior National Championships, 2026 Federation Cup (Senior), 2026 Under-20 National Championships, and Under-23 National Championships are eligible to participate in the selection trials.

The WFI, however, said it will take a call on whether medallists of the Senior Open Ranking Tournament can be allowed to participate. “Though the tournament is not part of the policy to fulfil eligibility for the selection trials, the selection panel will take a fresh call on whether the medallists from the ranking tournament can enter the trials,” a senior WFI official told Sportsbackstory.com.

There were some reports that the WFI was trying to block her entry. The WFI official dismissed the allegations. “There was some technical glitch with the software for a few hours yesterday which was resolved. The wrestlers called us and we took their entries. We didn’t get a call from Vinesh. The last date for entry is April 30, so nobody was trying to block her entry,” the official said.

Vinesh, the two-time world championships medallist and a 2018 Asian Games gold medallist is one of India’s biggest names in the wrestling world. It will be the first time that 31-year-old Vinesh will compete since her dramatic disqualification from the 50kg final of the Paris Olympics for failing to make her weight class. Vinesh was competing in the 50kg category and defeated reigning Olympic and world champion Yui Susakai en route to the final. However, she was unable to cut her weight to fit into the category on the morning of the final and eventually returned without a medal. It was heartbreaking for Vinesh to come back without a medal, having reached the final in her third Olympic appearance. On returning home, Vinesh decided to call it quits. However, she announced a comeback last year with an eye on the Paris Olympics. She is now a mother and also a Congress legislator from Haryana.

Vinesh was one of the faces of the wrestling protest against the former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Interestingly, her comeback at the Senior Open Ranking Tournament will take place at a place considered the turf of Brij Bhushan Singh.

EOM