Is Sushil Kumar set to miss the bus for Rio Olympics?

Two-time Olympic medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar's hopes of making it to the Rio Olympics later this year still hang in the balance, after his name was missing from the list of probable candidates sent to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the men's 74 kg category.

While the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) denied sending any recommendation to the IOA, it later clarified that it was a regular practice for world governing body United World Wrestling to send a list of the wrestlers who had secured berths for the Olympics, to the IOA.

Narsingh Yadav, who had won the bronze medal at the World Championships in 2015, and secured an Olympics quota in the process, is on the list. Yadav has been competing in the category for a long period of time.

In comparison, Sushil Kumar has little experience in this weight category, having made a switch from 66 kg to 74 kg in 2014. He won the bronze and the silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, respectively, in the 66 kg category.

Kumar had earlier asked the WFI to conduct trials to select India's participant in the weight division. However, reports in the media later claimed that the governing body had recommended the name of Narsingh Yadav to IOA for the sole spot in the 74 kg category.

"No decision has yet been taken. The WFI president is going to take the decision on whether and when to hold the trials," Vinod Tomar, assistant secretary of WFI, eventually clarified to PTI.