Pro Panja League Ranking Tournament 2022 final took place at Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh
The historic Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh became the hub of arm-wrestling as intense finals of Pro Panja League 2022 Ranking Tournament took place on Sunday at the scenic location. With Chief Guests Ashutosh Tiwari, Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Housing Board Pradesh, 23-time World Championship-winning arm-wrestler Michael ‘The Monster’ Todd, Rebecca ‘Mrs Monster’ Todd, and Asian Arm-Wrestling Federation President Mr Jeenbek Mukambetov in attendance, 20 arm-wrestlers competed in 10 thrilling bouts that lit up the city of Gwalior.
Arm-Wrestling Legend Michael Todd, who witnessed the entire finale action at the stunning venue, was left impressed seeing the level of competition as Kerala’s Tawheed Shaikh won his final thrilling bout against Haryana’s Karaj Singh in Men’s 90 Kg category, that went right down to the wire. Meanwhile, there were celebrations in store for Haryana as well as Yogesh Chaudhary defeated Kerala’s Jincy Jose to claim the Women’s 65+kg title.
In the specially-abled category, Chandan Kumar Behera (Odisha) picked up the win, after which Yazar Arafhat (Kerala) won his bout in the 60Kg Men category. Arya VP (Kerala) won the first female bout of the day, after which Rahul Panicker (Kerala) picked the win in Men’s 70kg category.
Chetna Sharma (Assam) won the Women’s 65kg bout, and Kerala’s Mazahir Saidu (Kerala) stunned his opponent in Men’s 100+kg category. Jagdish Baruah (Assam) won the Men’s 100Kg category after which the night saw the biggest upset as Asker Ali (Kerala) beat hometown hero Sachin Goyal (Madhya Pradesh) in the Men’s 80Kg match.
Speaking on the action, ‘The Monster’ Michael Todd said, “We have never seen an atmosphere like this. It has been an absolute pleasure to be here and to witness the hospitality and feel the love in India. I am deeply impressed by the level of competition here, and I am hopeful to return to India again in the future.”
