India’s young wrestling talents continue to make their mark on the global stage, as three Indian women wrestlers advanced to the semifinals of the U17 World Wrestling Championship, held this week. Meanwhile, Greco-Roman wrestler Ronak Dahiya brought home a bronze medal in the 110kg category.
In the women’s division, Aditi Kumari, Neha, and Pulkit delivered stellar performances to secure their places in the semifinals across different weight categories.
Aditi Kumari (43kg) put on a dominant display, first overwhelming Ukraine’s Karolina Shperyk with a commanding 10-0 victory. She then followed up with a hard-fought 4-2 win against Egypt’s Marriem Mohamed Abdelaal. Aditi’s exceptional form has set up a semifinal clash against Aleksandra Berezovskaia of Russia, where she will look to continue her winning momentum.
In the 57kg category, Neha demonstrated her superiority by not conceding a single point in her journey to the semifinals. She began by pinning Greece’s Mairi Mani and then outclassed Georgia’s Miranda Kapanadze with a win by technical superiority. Neha’s semifinal opponent will be Kazakhstan’s Anna Stratan, and she will aim to maintain her flawless record in the tournament.
Pulkit (65kg) also impressed with her dominance on the mat. She secured a win by fall against China’s Ling Cai and followed that with a commanding 9-0 victory over Juliana Catanzaro of Italy. Pulkit now faces Egypt’s Maram Ibrahim Aly in the semifinals, where she will battle for a spot in the gold-medal match.
On the Greco-Roman side, Ronak Dahiya added to India’s medal tally by securing a bronze in the 110kg category. Ranked second in the world, Ronak demonstrated his skill and composure by defeating Turkey’s Emrullah Capkan 6-1 in the bronze medal play-off. This victory marked India’s first medal at the championship.
Ronak’s journey to the bronze medal was challenging, as he faced a tough opponent in the semifinals, losing to Hungary’s Zoltan Czako, who eventually claimed the silver medal. The gold in the 110kg category was won by Ukraine’s Ivan Yankovskyi, who beat Czako by technical superiority.
India’s medal hopes are still alive in the championship, with Sainath Pardhi set to compete in the bronze medal play-off in the 51kg category. After winning his repechage round, Pardhi will face Kazakhstan’s Mussan Yerassyl in a bid to secure India’s second medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at this event.
The performances of these young athletes at the U17 World Wrestling Championship show the potential of Indian wrestling on the international stage. With several wrestlers still in contention for medals, India is poised for a strong finish at the championship, further solidifying its reputation as a rising force in global wrestling.
