Wrestler Anshu always had power and stamina; Has Japan training stint given her game the all-important speed kick?

This culinary exchange might not have been on Anshu’s to-do list when she decided to travel to Japan earlier this year for a training stint. But the dinner table conversations with the latest in Japan’s long assembly line of world-class women wrestlers – in addition to many during training – left a lasting impression on Anshu’s mind.

”Not just her, but all Japanese wrestlers and coaches we met there were so open, so polite in sharing tips and ideas that Anshu returned as a better wrestler,” Dharamveer tells The Indian Express from Bishkek.

On Saturday, she showed it on the mat. Making a comeback to international competition for the first time in a year, Anshu looked quicker and stronger than ever before, while showing good strength in parterre position as she bulldozed past a thin field to win a Paris Olympics quota.

Anshu had to win only two bouts to secure a Paris quota, one less than most other wrestlers. And she did it without much fuss, needing just three minutes to beat Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy by technical superiority (12-1) and then needing just 2 minutes and 48 seconds to beat Laylokhon Sabirova 10-0.

Minutes later, Reetika Hooda – at 21, a year younger than Anshu – added to her growing reputation by venturing into a territory no Indian woman has in the past: qualifying for the Olympics in the 76 kg category.

Then again, Reetika is fast making it a habit to break the glass ceiling. In October last year, she became the first Indian woman to win the gold medal at the Under-23 World Championship. At the time, the Paris Olympics were a distant thought, nowhere on the horizon for her. On Saturday, it became a reality.

In her first major tournament with high stakes, Reetika did not look out of place as she exuded class, evading headlocks and initiating step-outs to beat Taipei’s Hui Tsz Chang 7-0 in the semifinals, which ensured a quota.

The three Olympic berths on the second day of the qualifiers ensured India took its tally to four, all of them in women’s wrestling.

Anshu, older and wiser from her Tokyo experience, will fancy her chances.

Dharamveer, her father, says the performances in the qualifiers give the wrestler, whose career has been punctuated by untimely injuries, a perfect launchpad and dollops of confidence for Paris.

“We had identified a few areas after the previous Olympics and one of the things that stood out was the need to work on fitness and strength,” Dharamveer says.

Anshu now has a physio and strength-and-conditioning expert on her team and she began practising with male wrestlers more often to become stronger. Most of the men were also in the 57 kg category but at times, she also sparred with wrestlers who were heavier than her.

“It’s a common practice to train with boys,” Dharamveer says. “But we couldn’t be happy just with that. We also had to improve the mat skills.”

And so, they took a flight to Japan, the most dominant country in the world in women’s wrestling. For mysterious reasons, not many Indian women have explored the option of training with the Japanese before.

Anshu didn’t hesitate and with Japanese women clinching quotas in all weight categories, she did not face the tricky prospect of sparring with an opponent whom she could have faced for a spot at the Olympics.

Then again, Anshu went there consciously aware of the gulf in class. The stint at the Nippon Sports Science University in Yokohama proved to be an eye-opener. Anshu trained with the likes of Kaori Icho, the 10-time world champion and four-time Olympic champion, as well as Yui Susaki, who won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics without conceding a single point.

“The wrestlers and their coaches didn’t discriminate at all. They shared their knowledge and gave tips on improving mat technique and speed. These are just two of the things but for us, they were the most important,” Dharamveer says.

Anshu is likely to return to the Nippon University in Yokohama next week and spend at least one month there. “Our entire plan is designed to ensure Anshu wins an Olympic medal. And for that, you have to train and learn from the best,” Dharamveer says.