Signing you in

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 be video recorded to ensure fairness.

According to the WFI rules, wrestlers will be given a 1kg exemption during weigh-in for these trials. Vinesh, her team said, ‘is within the prescribed weight limit’.

“We are leaving nothing to chance,” said a member of Vinesh’s entourage. “Although we hope that everything will be done as per the rules and fairly, we want to take all the precautions from our end too. We will carry our weight machines just in case something fishy comes up during the weigh-in. We will take proper care of the food and water she will consume. We are thankful to the Court for ordering the video recording of the bouts. We hope that it will encourage fair judging.”

Since she announced her comeback in December last year, reversing the decision to retire after the Paris Olympics, Vinesh has alleged that the WFI has been ‘actively creating roadblocks’ and ‘twisting rules and regulations’ in a way that ‘prevents’ her from competing again.

The WFI has argued that Vinesh isn’t eligible for the Asian Games selection trials because she did not meet the criteria. In a circular on May 6, the WFI said only the medal winners of the 2025 National Championships, held in December, and last February’s Federation Cup would be allowed to compete in the selection trials. Vinesh, who gave birth to a baby boy in July last year, did not compete in either tournament.

Vinesh was set to make her comeback at the 2026 Ranking Tournament in Gonda from May 10 to 12, hoping that it would open the door for her to compete in the trials. The WFI, however, excluded the Ranking Tournament from its list of eligible competitions. It went on to bar her from competing in Gonda, declaring her ineligible due to anti-doping protocols and an ongoing disciplinary hearing.

On May 27, the WFI issued a fresh circular, allowing the Ranking Tournament medallists to compete in this weekend’s Asian Games trials.

WFI president Sanjay Singh said the trials would go ahead as scheduled, but when asked about the U-turn, he hung up.

The latest circular means potentially four more wrestlers in each category, leading to more bouts and – consequently – a tricky situation for Vinesh, whose stamina would be tested.

On current form, Vinesh’s biggest challenge could come from Meenakshi Goyat. The 25-year-old, who boasts of a strong defence, has won two silver medals this year, at the Asian Championship and the Muhamet Malo tournament in Albania. However, her stock has risen in this weight class after she stunned twice World Championship medallist Antim Panghal during the Asian Championship selection trials in March.

Antim was so shocked after the loss that she lay on the mat in disbelief for minutes after the bout. The Paris Olympian, however, would be keen to prove that the defeat was only a blip. After all, the counter-attacking wrestler was the only Indian to return with a medal from the 2025 World Championship and also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships, apart from gold medals at the Hungary and Mongolia Ranking series.

A dark horse in this category could be recently-crowned Under-23 Asian Champion Muskan. Only 19, she conceded just two points en route to winning the title in Da Nang, Vietnam, earlier this week. However, the short turnaround time between the two competitions could impact her performance on Saturday.

U-23 World Championship bronze medallist Nishu, who competes in 55kg but is likely to drop to 53 for these trials, is another wrestler who could pose a challenge, along with Hansika Lamba, who won a bronze at the Asian Championship earlier this year, although in the 55kg category.