Silver shine, gold dreams alive: India wrestlers impress at Asian Championships

India’s wrestling contingent delivered a mixed yet promising performance at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships, blending moments of heartbreak with strong signs of dominance. While Meenakshi Goyat settled for a hard-fought silver, three Indian men powered their way into the finals, keeping the country’s gold medal hopes very much alive.

In the women’s 53kg category, Meenakshi entered the final with confidence after a spirited semi-final comeback. However, the summit clash proved challenging as she went down 0-10 against China’s Jin Zhang , adding a valuable silver to India’s tally but missing out on the top podium spot.

Despite the setback, India found reason to cheer through Monika (65kg) and Harshita (72kg) , both of whom delivered composed performances to clinch bronze medals. Monika dominated South Korea’s Hanbit Lee 9-0 , while Harshita secured a convincing 5–0 win over Sevinchoy Polvonova. Their efforts pushed India’s medal count into double digits, with three silvers and seven bronzes so far.

The real excitement, however, came from the men’s freestyle category. Rising star Sujeet (65kg) showcased his class with a 7-2 victory over Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev, setting up a high-stakes final against Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov, a rematch of their U-23 world championship clash.

In the 70kg category, Abhimanyou pulled off a stunning upset, defeating defending champion Ernazar Akmataliev 6-3 in a late turnaround. He now faces Mongolia’s Tumur Ochir in the final.

Completing the trio, Sandeep Mann (79kg) displayed sheer dominance, overpowering Somonjon Ikromov 10-0 to book his place in the gold medal bout against Japan’s Keyvan Gharehdaghi.

Meanwhile, Vicky (97kg) and Ankush (57kg) will compete for bronze after falling short in their respective semi-finals.

As the tournament heads into its निर्णायक phase, India stands at a crucial juncture, with medals already secured and gold within touching distance .