Vaishnave Faces Setbacks in Taekwondo Trials Ahead of Asian Games
Vaishnave's Struggles with Taekwondo Selection
Vaishnave, the current gold medalist in taekwondo at the National Games in the under-46kg category, is feeling disheartened. She believes that the governing bodies are hindering her opportunity to represent India at the upcoming Asian Games. Notably, she was the only Indian woman to reach the quarterfinals at last year's Senior World Championships, yet she has been denied a chance to compete again.
The issue arose when India Taekwondo, the body recognized by World Taekwondo, refused to grant her a wild card entry into the 49kg category, which is an Olympic event, during at least two selection trials for the Asian Championships, a direct qualifier for the Asian Games.
Her troubles began when she missed the Uttar Pradesh State Championships due to her participation in the Under-21 World Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. Subsequently, state officials barred her from entering the Federation Cup, which served as a trial for the Asian Games. Interestingly, Rajat Dixit, the secretary general of the UP state association, was part of the selection committee for the U-21 World Championships and also serves as the treasurer of India Taekwondo.
In January, she participated in selection trials for the U-49kg category but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Following this, she suffered an injury that required surgery to repair her nose.
Vaishnave has expressed frustration over the lack of support from officials since the beginning of the year. A nose injury in January prevented her from competing in a meet in Pune, which also served as trials for the Asian Games. After recovering and receiving medical clearance, she was again denied the opportunity to compete in trials held in Bengaluru on March 27-28. Despite her efforts to reach out to federation officials, including India Taekwondo president Namdev Shirgaonker, she claims her requests for a wild card entry went unanswered. She even traveled to Bengaluru and waited over seven hours at the venue but was not accommodated.
The following day, she met with Shirgaonker, who advised her to focus on her training. However, during the next selection trials in Panchkula, Haryana, on April 15, her name was again absent from the list. "My coach Ashish Pratap Singh received a message from national coach Harjinder Singh indicating that I would be granted a wildcard for the Panchkula trials. But, like before, there was no follow-up. I kept inquiring about the wildcard, but received no response. When the final list was released, my name was predictably missing," Vaishnave recounted.
"I have no grievances against anyone. I simply want to understand why I am being treated this way. All I ever wanted was a chance to compete in the trials. It feels like there are different standards for me compared to others," she added.
In the +73kg category, Rudali Borah received a wildcard despite her failure at the Bengaluru trials. Vaishnave's coach emphasized that they are merely seeking an opportunity. "We are not questioning any other athlete; we just want a chance to participate in the trials. The best athlete should represent India, but it seems they prioritize ranking points over actual performance," he stated.
India Taekwondo president Shirgaonker expressed sympathy for Vaishnave but insisted that rules must be adhered to. "She is an exceptional athlete, and I believe she will bring pride to India and win medals. The challenge is that her strong performances are in the 46kg category, while she is seeking a wildcard in the 49kg category, where several athletes outperform her in both results and performance," he explained.
"I wanted to assist her because I recognize her potential, but if we start granting wildcards, we would be inundated with requests. We only issued one wildcard because that athlete's ranking points surpassed those of the second-ranked athlete in that category. I hope she trains diligently and makes a strong comeback soon. There will be more opportunities for her," he concluded.