Haryana with Anshu, Sonam set to begin campaign at Khelo India Youth Games

With international players like world cadet champions Anshu and Sonam in the fray, wrestling powerhouse Haryana will be looking to continue their domination at the second edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, which officially begins here from Wednesday. Last year, Haryana had won 11 gold medals, out of which eight came from the girl's category. Maharashtra managed just one gold but finished second overall with seven medals. Anshu (U-21) became world cadet champion at Athens in 2017 and continued her medal spree by winning the Asian Cadet championship in Uzbekistan in May and a bronze at the Junior World in Slovakia in September 2018.

She will be participating in the 62kg category, while Sonam, a 16-year-old from Madina village in Sonepat, will be another attraction in the Under-17 65kg category, a media release issued here said Tuesday. Sonam has won the 56kg world cadet championship and continued to win medals at the National School Games and Khelo India. "Of course, Haryana wrestlers are a tough nut to crack but our top wrestlers like Bhagyashri Fand and Supriya Mishra have a good chance for a podium finish," said Maharashtra's Under-17 girls' team coach Shabnam Shaikh. Among the boys, Haryana will have an upper hand with cadet Asian gold medallist Akash Dahiya (61kg) and Praveen Malik in the 74kg category in the fray.

(With inputs from agencies.)