Zagreb Open 2026: Neelam Wins Silver

Indian wrestlers continued their medal-winning run at the first UWW Ranking Series tournament of the year, the Zagreb Open . On Thursday, India secured one silver and three bronze medals, taking its total medal tally in the tournament to seven (1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze).

In the women’s 50 kg freestyle category, Neelam Sirohi showcased an impressive performance to reach the final and clinch the silver medal. Displaying aggression from the start, Neelam defeated Poland’s Agata 10–0 in the opening round and Azerbaijan’s Elnura 12–2 in the quarterfinals. She then beat domestic wrestler Muskan 7–4 in the semifinals to secure a medal. In a closely contested final, she fell 2–5 to Japan’s Haruna Morikawa , the U-23 World Champion, taking home silver.

In the men’s 97 kg category, Vicky Huda fought tenaciously to win bronze. Despite losing to the USA’s Stephen in the quarterfinals, he bounced back in the repechage round, defeating Canada’s Shamuel 12–1. He then secured bronze by beating France’s Adlan 8–2. Meanwhile, in the 125 kg category, Dinesh Dhanker claimed bronze by defeating Poland’s Kamil via pinfall. His confidence was bolstered by a 12–2 win over the USA’s Demetrius in the repechage.

In the women’s 50 kg category, Muskan , who lost in the semifinals, performed strongly in the bronze medal match, defeating Poland’s Agata Walerjack 11–0. However, in other categories, Deepak Chahal (97 kg) and Mahendra Babasaheb (125 kg quarterfinals) were eliminated, while Amit (79 kg) and Jyoti (55 kg) exited in the qualification round.

India’s first-day winners included Sujeet Kalkal (65 kg), who claimed gold, and Aman Sehrawat (61 kg), who won silver. Attention now turns to Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Antim Panghal , who is set to compete on Saturday.