Vinesh out of Asian Games citing knee injury

Though SAI has been apprised of her decision, the ad hoc panel was not until late Tuesday; Focus on Bajrang now

- FIROZ MIRZA

A DAY after the ad-hoc committee declared the dates of selection trials for the World Championships, wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday announced that she won't be competing at the Asian Games because of a knee injury. Vinesh along with Bajrang Punia was given direct entry into the national squad for the Asian Games in September and October. Vinesh's withdrawal means Antim Panghal, who won the Asian Games selection trials, will now represent the country at the quadrennial event in Hangzhou, China.

"I wanted to share an extremely sad piece of news. A couple of days ago on 13th August 2023, I injured my left knee in training. After doing the scans and examinations, the doctor has said that unfortunately, surgery is the only option for me to recover," Phogat wrote on a social networking site. "I will be undergoing surgery on 17th August in Mumbai. It was my dream to retain my Asian Games gold medal for India which I won in 2018 in Jakarta. But unfortunately, this injury has ruled out my participation now."