India finishes with 20 medals at U20 Asian Wrestling Championships, secures strong team rankings

India ended its campaign at the U20 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya with 20 medals, including four gold. The team finished second in women’s wrestling and third in men’s freestyle, showcasing strong depth across all categories and weight divisions

Hyderabad: Indian grapplers produced an all-round display to conclude their campaign at the Under-20 Asian Wrestling Championships with a rich haul of 20 medals, comprising four gold, seven silver, and nine bronze, across all three disciplines as the continental tournament concluded in Pattaya on Sunday.

Indian grapplers ensured consistent podium finishes across multiple weight divisions throughout the championship, securing top-three overall team rankings in both Women’s Wrestling and Men’s Freestyle.

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In women’s wrestling, India delivered a standout performance to finish second on the podium with 184 points, falling just short of champions China (189 points) while comprehensively outclassing third-placed Japan (142 points). Meanwhile, the Indian men’s freestyle team finished third overall in the team standings with 152 points, behind winners Kazakhstan (170 points) and runners-up Iran (164 points).

Underlining their remarkable depth and consistency in the women’s competition, the Indian squad achieved an elite 90 per cent podium conversion rate, with nine out of ten grapplers securing medals to outpace traditional powerhouse Japan by a massive 42-point margin.

Lauding the performance of the young athletes, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Kumar Singh said, “Winning 20 medals at the continental level proves the immense depth and talent of our junior wrestling pipeline. The Federation is completely committed to nurturing these young athletes with the right training and exposure so they can seamlessly transition into champions for India on the senior international stage.”

Leading the Indian charge in the women’s division were Parveen (50kg), Muskan (53kg), and Kajal (76kg), who all clinched gold medals in their respective weight classes. Parveen outclassed Uzbekistan’s Shokhista Shonazarova 13-2, Muskan held her nerve to edge past Japan’s Mai Ogawa 6-5 on points, and Kajal put on a clinical display to shut out Japan’s Mahiru Fujita 5-0.

Meanwhile, Manya Rajput (57kg), Savita (62kg), and Manisha (72kg) settled for silver medals after losing their respective title clashes against Chinese opponents. In the bronze-medal playoffs, Kajal (55kg) secured a fall victory over Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova, Komal (59kg) blanked Kyrgyzstan’s Akylai Chynybaeva 12-0 via technical superiority, and Mansi Lather (65kg) defeated Korea’s Yeonwoo Song 13-2.

In the men’s freestyle competition, Sumit Kumar Laxman Bharaskar captured the solitary gold medal for India in the 70kg category, prevailing 13-7 in a high-scoring thriller against Kazakhstan’s Sungkar Seidakhmet. Pushp (61kg), Saurabh Yadav (79kg), and Ronak (125kg) signed off with silver medals after falling short in their respective finals.

The freestyle contingent also added three bronze medals through Rohit (57kg), Adarsh Yuvraj Patil (74kg), and Lacky (97kg), who all registered convincing victories in their playoff bouts.

Earlier in the Greco-Roman division, Akshay Rana secured a silver medal in the 97kg category after going down 0-8 to Iran’s Amirsam Behnam Mohammadi in the final. Neeraj Patel (55kg), Anuj (67kg), and Dheeraj Kumar Malik (67kg) won their respective playoffs on points to take home bronze medals for the country.