Two weeks before she was scheduled to take part in the Individual World Cup in Belgrade, Asian Wrestling Championship gold medalist Divya Kakran became the latest Indian sportsperson to test positive for the Covid-19 virus. The 23-year-old underwent a test on Saturday, which confirmed the presence of the virus.
Kakran's positive test follows that of former World Championship bronze medalist Narsingh Yadav and Greco-Roman wrestler Gurpreet Singh, who had tested positive on Saturday. Neither of them were symptomatic but had been admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure.
While Yadav and Singh underwent SAI (Sports Authority of India) mandated coronavirus tests on Friday, having rejoined the national camp in SAI Sonepat after traveling home for a Diwali break, it is learned that Kakran, who competes in the women's 68kg division, had been tested on her own initiative.
The Indian women's wrestling camp in Lucknow had been postponed indefinitely following a one week Diwali break after several senior wrestlers had refused to be subject to the 14 days of quarantine that had been mandated for them as part of the SAI's Standard Operating Procedures.
Kakran, a three-time Asian medalist as well as medalist at the Asian and Commonwealth Games, had been training in New Delhi at a private academy over the past week but had stopped training after showing mild respiratory symptoms over the past couple of days. A training partner and Kakran's brother, who serves as a sparring partner, have also shown symptoms and have taken the COVID-19 tests on Sunday.