Indian wrestlers faced a challenging day at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, with most failing to advance past the pre-quarterfinal stage. Despite some promising starts, including a strong comeback by Nikhil, key athletes were eliminated, though Manisha Bhanwala is set to compete for gold later.
Several Indian wrestlers, including U17 World Champion Neha Sangwan, have been denied US visas for the upcoming U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, citing age and unemployment. The Wrestling Federation of India has urged the US Embassy to reconsider, highlighting that the athletes are within the U23 age group and many are still pursuing their careers.
Indian wrestlers Rohit, Jaskaran Singh, and Chandermohan secured bronze medals at the U23 World Championship in Las Vegas, contributing to India's total tally of six medals.
Indian wrestlers secured a six-medal haul, including two golds, at the Asian Games in Nagoya, overcoming injuries and form slumps. Gold medallists Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal, along with silver winners Nitesh Siwach and Antim Panghal, and bronze medallists Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar, are now setting their sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, expressing determination to bring home more glory.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to send separate teams for the U23 and Senior World Wrestling Championships due to the short time gap between the two events, forcing wrestlers to choose which tournament to compete in. This decision aims to ensure optimal preparation and performance for both Indian teams.
Greco-Roman wrestler Nitesh has reached the men's 97kg final at the Asian Games, putting him one win away from securing India's first-ever gold medal in this category. He dominated his semifinal match with a technical-superiority victory, marking a significant moment for Indian wrestling.
Hansika Lamba won a silver medal in the women's 55kg category at the Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvan Memorial Senior Ranking Tournament in Budapest. Her performance, along with two bronze medals from Vishal Kaliraman and Rajat Ruhal, increased India's total medal count to five, following earlier wins by Aman Sehrawat and Deepak.
Indian wrestlers Nikita Sehrawat, Kamna Babal, and Garima secured three medals at the U17 World Championships in Baku. Nikita Sehrawat clinched a silver medal in the 57kg category, while Kamna Babal (49kg) and Garima (73kg) each earned bronze medals, showcasing strong performances on the international stage.
India concluded a highly successful campaign at the Ulaanbaatar Open Senior Ranking Series wrestling tournament, securing a total of 17 medals across freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's categories. The men's freestyle team alone bagged three gold and four bronze medals, while the Greco-Roman team clinched the overall championship with two golds. The women's contingent also contributed significantly with three gold and four bronze medals, ensuring India's top-three finish in the team standings.
India's Greco-Roman wrestlers, including Asian Games medallist Sunil Kumar, faced early defeats at the World Championships in Astana on Monday. Three wrestlers, Sunil Kumar, Sahil, and Sachin Sahrawat, were eliminated in their opening rounds, highlighting a disappointing performance from the Indian contingent.
Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak secured historic silver medals for India at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana on Wednesday, marking the first time two Indian women reached the finals in the same edition. Neelam faced a formidable opponent in five-time world champion Yui Susaki, while Kajal narrowly lost a hard-fought bout against three-time European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Despite the disappointment of missing gold, these achievements represent a significant milestone for Indian women's wrestling. Other Indian wrestlers, including Rajnita, Nishu, Srishti, Neha Sangwan, and Tanu Sharma, faced defeats in earlier rounds.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is seeking urgent intervention from the US Embassy after four U23 World Championships-bound women grapplers were denied visas.
Indian wrestlers showcased their talent at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships, securing multiple medals across various weight categories in both men's and women's freestyle events.
Former U17 World Champion Neha clinched a gold medal in the women's 59kg category at the Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvan Memorial Senior Ranking Tournament in Budapest. This victory marked India's second gold, following Aman Sehrawat's earlier triumph. India also secured a silver medal through Mansi and a bronze through Savita in the 62kg women's wrestling division, bringing the total medal count to eight.
Indian women's wrestling achieved a historic milestone at the World Championships as Kajal Dhochak (76kg) and Neelam Sirohi (50kg) both reached their respective gold medal bouts.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has alerted the Hungarian Embassy in New Delhi about forged documents submitted by individuals posing as wrestlers, raising concerns about a potential human trafficking attempt.
Indian Greco-Roman wrestler Lalit failed to secure a bronze medal at the World Championships in Astana, losing by technical superiority to Kazakhstan's Iskhar Kurbayev. Three other Indian wrestlers, including Asian Games silver medallist Nitesh Siwach, also exited early from the competition.
Indian wrestler Neelam Sirohi won a silver medal in the women's 50kg final at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, losing to Japanese legend Yui Susaki. This achievement makes her only the second Indian woman, after Anshu Malik, to secure a silver at the global event. Neelam's journey to the final included a dominant win in the semifinals, and her performance marks a significant milestone for Indian women's wrestling.
Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala has advanced to the women's 59kg final at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana. She secured her spot with a dominant win by fall over Kazakhstan's Altyn Shagayeva, leading 10-0 before the pin. Manisha is now the third Indian to reach a gold medal bout at this edition, aiming to end India's wait for a world champion. She will compete against Pan American champion Abigail Elizabeth Nette in the final.
Indian wrestler Lalit staged a remarkable comeback to stay in contention for a medal in the 55kg category at the World Wrestling Championship in Astana. Despite trailing significantly, he secured a 9-7 victory. However, three other Indian Greco Roman wrestlers, Harsh, Lovepreet Singh, and Prince, were eliminated on the opening day.
Former Indian wrestler Sangram Singh is set to compete against Malta's Wallochon in an MMA bout at the FightStar Championship 39 in London on December 19. Singh, who made his MMA debut in 2024, has a strong record with previous wins and is also a two-time Commonwealth Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal has advanced to the men's 65kg semifinals at the Asian Games after securing two dominant victories, including a technical superiority win against Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi. Meanwhile, three other Indian wrestlers faced early exits from the competition.
Indian women wrestlers Hansika Lamba and Neha won bronze medals, while Meenakshi Goyat advanced to the final at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships.
Indian Greco-Roman wrestler Vishvajit More secured a silver medal at the U23 World Championship in Las Vegas, becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat. He lost a close final to Georgia's Koba Karumidze. Komal and Diksha Malik are still in contention for bronze medals in the women's event.
Asian Games medallists Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal have withdrawn from the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Sujeet Kalkal, an Asian Games gold medallist, will lead the Indian contingent. The article also details the full Indian squads across men's freestyle, women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman categories, alongside a controversy regarding a selection bout.
Indian wrestlers Jaskaran Singh and Chandermohan have advanced to the bronze medal bouts in their respective weight categories at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas. Rohit and Shivan also remain in contention for medals through the repechage rounds, while Sumit Bharaskar's campaign concluded.
Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal have secured their spots in the men's 57kg and women's 53kg finals, respectively, at the Asian Games in Nagoya. Both wrestlers, who previously won bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, are now poised to compete for gold.
Veteran Indian wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat and her husband Vivek Suhag have welcomed their second child, a baby girl, on the auspicious occasion of Shivratri.
Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala has advanced to the women's 59kg final at the World Championships in Astana, securing her spot with dominant victories. This achievement offers India another chance to clinch a world champion title. Meanwhile, Sujeet Kalkal's impressive winning streak ended with a quarterfinal defeat, and Tanu secured a bronze medal in the 72kg category.
Indian women wrestlers secured two silver and two bronze medals at the U17 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, with Sandhya Vishnoi and Akshara winning silver, and Avanshika and Taniya earning bronze.
India's women wrestlers achieved a perfect podium finish at the U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 in Da Nang, Vietnam, winning 10 medals, including 2 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze.
Indian Greco Roman wrestler Sunil Kumar secured a bronze medal in the men's 87kg category at the Asian Games, defeating Roberts Callum Johnston of the Philippines.
Indian wrestler Deepak Punia secured a bronze medal in the men's 97kg category at the Asian Games, defeating Mongolia's Gankhuyang Ganbataar. This marks his second Asian Games medal, following a silver in 2023, and adds to his impressive international record including a 2019 World Championships silver.
Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala, fresh off her historic senior World Championships gold, is now focused on winning a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She attributes her strength and determination to the enduring memory and guidance of her late father, who introduced her to wrestling.
Nitesh Siwach has secured India's first silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games since 1962, despite missing out on gold in the men's 97kg final against Japan's Yuri Nakazato.
Indian wrestler Jaspreet Kaur has been sanctioned by the International Testing Agency (ITA) after testing positive for prohibited stimulants, octodrine and heptaminol, during the Asian Beach Games. She accepted the anti-doping rule violation, leading to disqualification of her results, with further sanctions from United World Wrestling possible.
India's Amruta Pujari has stormed into the women's 72kg final at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships, while Komal secured a bronze medal in the 59kg category. Sweety and Vaishnavi Patil are also in contention for bronze through repechage, adding to Vishvajit More's earlier silver medal.
Nitesh Siwach secured India's first Greco-Roman wrestling silver medal at the Asian Games since 1962, though he missed out on gold after being defeated by Japan's Yuri Nakazato in the 97kg final. Meanwhile, Mansi Ahlawat lost her bronze medal play-off in the women's 62kg event, and other Indian wrestlers were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to send separate teams to the U23 Senior World Wrestling Championship and the Senior World Wrestling Championship due to the short interval between the two events, aiming to ensure optimal preparation and performance for Indian wrestlers.
Sujeet Kalkal clinched the Asian Games gold medal in the men's 65kg wrestling category, overcoming strong rivals including an Olympic champion. He demonstrated remarkable resilience by coming from behind in the final to secure his first Asian Games title.
