Wrestler Vinesh Phogat makes a winning start during the Asian Games trials at the IGI stadium in New Delhi on May 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
Decorated wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday (May 30, 2026) made a winning start at the Asian Games selection trials by beating Jyoti 7-1 in her opening bout in New Delhi.
Vinesh was cautious in the beginning and largely involved in standing wrestling but comfortably made her moves as the bout progressed.
She began with a push point on counter and soon went for a double leg attack that did not yield any points. She was put on clock at the start of the second period and from there she began to dominate.
She converted a right leg attack into a take down move to go 3-0 up. Jyoti too launched a furious leg attack but Vinesh used all her strength to foil the attempt.
On counter attack, Vinesh made two quick moves to make it 7-0, while Jyoti got on board with a push-out point.
Vinesh will next take on Nishu, who won by fall against Riya.
Meanwhile, Antim Panghal needed only 34 seconds to make a winning start as she defeated Tannu by technical superiority. In no time, Antim had her rival locked in a ‘fitley’ move and rolled Tannu five times to finish the bout in a jiffy.
Antim and Vinesh are drawn to meet in the final. Vinesh, though, will have to contend with the talented Meenakshi Goyat in the semifinals.
Just yesterday (May 29, 2026), Supreme Court allowed Phogat to participate in the Asian Games 2026 selection trials.
A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha said Ms. Phogat needs a chance as she has made the country proud multiple times in the past in the wrestling ring.
After the Supreme Court verdict, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said Vinesh Phogat will be allowed to compete only in the women’s 50kg category. The wrestler strongly objected to the decision and accused the federation of discriminating against her by denying her the opportunity to compete in a category of her choice.
A day after, WFI relented and agreed that Vinesh Phogat can compete in the 53-kg category. The dramatic turn of events came early on Saturday (May 30, 2026) when WFI president Sanjay Singh intervened and decided to allow Vinesh to enter the 53kg trials.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – May 30, 2026 02:27 pm IST
