New Delhi: The selection committee of Wrestling Federation of India on Monday selected the eight-member team during the selection trials conducted at SAI Centre in Lucknow. This team will represent country in the Senior World Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas, USA from 7-12 September 2015.

The selection committee comprising of WFI President and Member Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Chairman), Secretary General V N Prasood (Convener), Executive Member Rekha Yadav (Member), Chief Coach A N Yadav (Member) and Foreign Coach Roin Doboriginidze (Member) selected the team on the basis of their performance in the trials.

WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said, “Our women wrestlers have been working very hard on various aspects of the game at the national camp which is already underway at SAI Centre in Lucknow since November 2014. The International wrestling tournament in Kazakhstan will be an ideal opportunity for our Indian Women team to get international exposure before going into World Championship”.

Amongst the selected wrestlers, Olympian Geeta Phogat (58 kg) of Haryana who had won bronze medal at the World Championship in 2012 will be aiming for gold this time around. The Commonwealth Games 2014 Gold Medalist Vinesh from Haryana will also be vying for a podium finish this time. Another Commonwealth Games 2014 Silver medalist from Railway Sports Promotion Board will be looking at podium finish for the first time.

In the 53 kg weight category, Nirmala Devi is only selected for the Kazakhstan Tournament as she will have to give final trial against Babita before the World Championship. The Commonwealth Games medalist Babita Kumari couldn’t participate in today’s trials due to injury. On the basis of the request already received from Babita Kumari mentioning her inability to attend the trails and considering her past performance, the selection committee has already decided that the finalist of her weight category will only be selected for Kazakhstan Tournament which will be held before World Championship. The dates of the trial will be intimated to the wrestlers later.

The Federation has decided to send this eight member team to Kazakhstan to participate in the International Wrestling Tournament from 24 -27 July 2015. The training camp of female wrestlers is currently underway at SAI Centre in Lucknow from November 2014 and will continue till their departure for the World Championship.

The Team –

48 kg: Vinesh (Haryana), 53 kg: Nirmala Devi (Haryana), 55 kg: Lalita (RSPB), 58 kg: Geeta Phogat (Haryana), 60 kg: Sarita (Haryana), 63 kg: Anita (Haryana), 69 kg: Navjot (RSPB), 75 kg: Nikki (Haryana)