Vinesh’s team to carry their own weighing scales for the Asian Games trials
If this were any other tournament, Vinesh Phogat would have been studying her opponents on the eve of her much-anticipated return to competition. Not least because she would be stepping on the mat for the first time in two years on Saturday – this time in the 53kg category. Instead, the two-time World Championship medallist and a three-time Olympian was glued to the Supreme Court proceedings, where the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) – in their last, desperate attempt – tried hard to stop her from competing in the Asian Games selection trials. After the bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe cleared her participation, Vinesh and her team’s focus quickly turned to Saturday’s trials – preparing not just for the expected battles on the mat, but the unexpected ones off it too. Their measures include carrying their own weighing scales, designating a ‘trusted person from the inner circle’ to ensure Vinesh’s food and water are not tampered with, and filming the bouts, even though the Delhi High Court ordered that the trials …
