As the clock strikes the one-minute mark, the lights at the Noida Indoor stadium turn red and a shrill siren sounds. In a six-minute wrestling bout divided into two periods, the Pro Wrestling League’s format of awarding double points in the final minute – for takedowns, stepouts and falls – has made for an interesting spectacle and asked the brawn of the wrestlers to be complemented by their brains.
The ‘power-minute’, as it’s called, has been one of the innovations introduced by the Pro Wrestling League in its restart after it shut shop for six years.
In the opening duel between Ana Godinez and India’s 62 kg Paris Olympian Nisha Dahiya, the home star won by a score that one could mistake for a poor start by a batting team. Godinez lost 22-4, after being down 12-0 in the first period.
The Canadian explained how she hadn’t thought much about strategising for the last minute but was now considering it.
“I feel like I should have a different strategy. I’m usually an athlete that gets better throughout the match. I feel like I’m better than most of my opponents towards the end,” she said, admitting that a stronger start might be key to avoiding the last-minute scramble of getting, and holding on to, points.
Punjab Royals’ 76 kg wrestler Chandermohan has been the beneficiary of the power minute in both his bouts. In the opener, the Indian wrestler, who was neck and neck with 2023 Belgrade World Championships bronze medallist Arman Andreasyan, collected two successive turns in the final minute and what should have been a four points became eight. On Friday, Chandermohan once again completed a takedown in the final minute against Haryana Thunders’ Parvinder Singh and turned an even contest into a slender win.
“I was confused initially with the last minute format,” admits Chandermohan. “Coach saab told me to be careful in the last minute and concentrate.”
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While the power minute has decided results and played out as an entertaining addition to the traditional freestyle wrestling format, the team aspect of the format has clearly suffered.
No bouts for Susaki, Antim
This season of the Pro Wrestling League has been built on the starpower of Yui Susaki and Antim Panghal.
Susaki, an Olympic medallist generally considered one of the greatest 50 kg wrestlers to come out of Japan, shot into Indian consciousness when Vinesh Phogat secured a last-gasp takedown over the grappler who had never lost a bout until that moment, at the Paris Olympics.
Panghal, who had her own forgettable Paris Olympics, put that disappointment behind with a World Championships bronze, her second at just the age of 21.
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But both crack wrestlers received a walkover in their first matches. Panghal got one when her opponent failed to make weight in an inconsequential bout when Punjab were already leading 5-3 against UP. On Friday, Susaki too wasn’t in action for the Haryana Steelers.
65 kg U23 World Championship gold medallist Sujeet Kalkal’s bout was also a dead rubber but the Indian wrestler showed up for a 6-2 win over 2023 Belgrade World Championship bronze medallist Tevanyan Vazgen.
All three wrestlers are billed as marquee competitors at the event but the team format means that either they can be showcased at the start or middle of the team event, or be the last bout of the match, which can possibly be a dead rubber.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
