India bags Silver at U-23 World Wrestling Championships; Hansika Lamba, Sarika Malik shine

India’s wrestlers Hansika Lamba and Sarika Malik claim silver medals at the U-23 World Wrestling Championships in Serbia. India finishes the women’s competition with seven medals, and Parvinder loses out on bronze in the freestyle event

Novi Sad: India came close to securing its first gold at the U-23 World Wrestling Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia, as Hansika Lamba and Sarika Malik both settled for silver medals in their respective weight categories on Saturday.

Hansika Lamba Falls Short in 53kg Final

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Hansika Lamba competed in the 53kg final but lost to Haruna Morikawa of Japan with a score of 0-4. Hansika struggled in the opening period, failing to make any significant moves and losing early points. After being put on the clock for passivity, she trailed 0-3. Despite trying to push for an attack, she couldn’t break Morikawa’s strong headlock, and the Japanese wrestler sealed her victory with a push-out point.

Sarika Malik’s Close Call in 55kg Final

In the 55kg category, Sarika Malik, last year’s Asian U20 silver medallist, faced Ruka Natami, the 2024 U-23 World silver medallist. Sarika scored the first point on Natami’s passivity, but after a slow and actionless first period, the match took a turn. Sarika tried to use her strength for a push-out but was caught by the Japanese wrestler, who executed a two-pointer on the edge of the circle to take a 2-1 lead, which she maintained to claim the gold.

India’s Overall Performance

Despite the silver medal finishes, India had an impressive overall showing at the U-23 World Wrestling Championships. The country concluded the women’s competition with seven medals. Along with Hansika and Sarika, Nishu (55kg), Neha Sharma (57kg), Pulkit (65kg), Srishti (68kg), and Priya Malik (76kg) all earned bronze medals earlier in the tournament.

In the men’s freestyle event, Parvinder (74kg) lost his bronze play-off 2-8 to Japan’s Yoshinosuke Aoyagi. Other Indian wrestlers in the men’s competition, including Sumit Malik (57kg), Naveen Kumar (70kg), Chander Mohan (79kg), and Sachin (92kg), were eliminated earlier.

Looking Ahead

Sujeet Kalkal, competing in the 65kg weight class, remains India’s biggest hope for a gold medal in the remaining days of the competition.

India did not field any athlete in the 125kg category as the eligible candidates did not participate in the national camp, thus were not allowed to compete in the trials.

With a strong finish in the women’s competition and a couple of medals still up for grabs in the freestyle, India’s wrestlers continue to show their promise on the world stage. PTI