U-17 World Wrestling C'ship: Women's team bags six medals, claims overall championship

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) The Indian women wrestlers have showcased their dominance on the world stage, securing a total of six medals, including two gold, three silver, and one bronze, to bring glory to the nation in the 2025 Under-17 World Wrestling Championship, which got underway in Athens, Greece, on Friday.

The gold medals were won by Rachna (43kg) and Ashvini Vishnoi (65 kg), who won the gold medals, and Moni (57 kg), Kajal (73 kg), and Yashita (61 kg) bagged silver medals, while Komal Verma (49 kg) claimed the bronze medal. The Indian Women’s Wrestling Team clinched the Champion Trophy with 151 points, while the USA finished as runners-up with 142 points, and Japan secured the third position with 113 points.

Meanwhile, male wrestler Hardeep (110 kg) made history by winning a gold medal in the Greco-Roman style, becoming the first Indian to win gold in the heavyweight category in this style.

Rachna clinched India’s first gold medal in the 43 kg weight category. She began her campaign with a win by fall (8-0) against Canadian wrestler Mariza Toshie Anjos Nasu. In the quarterfinal, she beat Egyptian wrestler Mareim Ahmed by technical superiority (13-3). Facing a strong American opponent, Madison M. Healey in the semifinal, who had earlier defeated a Japanese wrestler by fall, Rachna showed great composure and advanced with a narrow 1-1 win on criteria. In the final, she faced a tough Chinese wrestler, Xin Huang, and emerged victorious with a confident 3-0 score. Rachna is also the reigning Asian Champion in this category, having won a gold medal at the Under-17 Asian Championship held in Vietnam in June 2025.

Ashvini Vishnoi, the only wrestler from Rajasthan to win a gold at the World Championship, continued her remarkable form. After winning gold at both the Under-17 Asian Championship and the Asian Beach Wrestling Championship in Vietnam, she carried the momentum to the world stage. She began by defeating Algerian wrestler Selsabil Rouabah by fall. In the next round, she beat Hungarian wrestler Emese Czegledi by technical superiority (11-0), followed by a dominant win (13-0 fall) over Mongolian wrestler Anujin Erkhembaatar in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, she outclassed UWW wrestler Lilia Ermokhina 7-0. Ashvini won the final against Uzbekistan’s Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova by 3-0. Impressively, she did not concede a single point throughout the tournament.

Moni won the silver medal as she reached the final in the 57 kg category after an impressive run, narrowly losing the gold medal bout to Kazakh wrestler Madkhiya Usmanova (5-6). Interestingly, Moni had defeated Usmanova in the final of the Under-17 Asian Championship in June 2025.

She began with a win by fall over Taipei’s Ling E. Li (10-0), then beat Uzbekistan’s Feruza Kairatdinova 6-0 in the quarterfinal and UWW wrestler Alina Baroeva 7-0 in the semifinal. In the final, overconfidence may have cost her the gold, and she had to settle for silver.

Kajal repeated her performance of the Under-17 Asian Championship final face-off with Chinese wrestler Wenjin Qiu, and unfortunately, the result was the same, and she had to be satisfied with a silver medal.

Kajal had a strong run to the final, defeating Hungarian wrestler Bianka Barany Almasi by fall in just 25 seconds, followed by another fall win (12-0) over Romanian wrestler Claudia G. Mantong. She secured her third fall victory over Georgian wrestler Anna Godelashvili. In the semifinal, she outclassed the USA’s Ella J. Poalillo with an 11-0 technical superiority. The final against Qiu was hard-fought; although Kajal showed better preparation this time, she lost by a close 5-8 margin.

Yashita bagged India’s third silver in the 61 kg category. She began with a 5-1 win over Kyrgyz wrestler Akylai Chynybaeva and then defeated Bulgarian wrestler Andrea Niseva 3-1. In the quarterfinal, Yashita edged past UWW wrestler Varvara Aliseyenka 2-2 on criteria. She secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Hungarian wrestler Barbara Bager in the semifinal. In a closely contested final, she lost a bout to USA wrestler Taina Rose Fernandez 11-0.

Komal Verma secured a bronze medal in the 49 kg category. She started strong, defeating Spain’s Sheila Mondrago Garcia 10-0. In the quarterfinal, she lost to USA’s Morgan Nicole Turner (0-10), but as Turner advanced to the final, Komal got a chance in the repechage. She made full use of the opportunity by beating Kazakhstan’s Saniya Soltangali with a 10-0 technical superiority and then clinched the bronze by defeating UWW wrestler Anhelina Burkina 8-3.

Hardeep made history by becoming the first Indian to win a Gold Medal in the heavyweight (110 kg) Greco-Roman category at the Under-17 World Championship.

Already crowned Asian Champion earlier this year in Vietnam, Hardeep continued his winning streak. He opened with a 2-0 win over a Kazak wrestler, followed by a 4-2 victory over a Polish opponent. In the quarterfinal, he dominated his Ukrainian opponent 9-0. The semifinal saw him beat a tough Turkish wrestler 4-2. In the final, he faced a strong Iranian wrestler, a match that tested his determination. In a dramatic finish, Hardeep won on criteria with a 3-3 scoreline, securing India’s first-ever gold in this category at the Under-17 Worlds. This achievement surpasses the previous best, a silver medal by Raunak Dahiya in 2023.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) congratulated all the medallists and extended gratitude to the coaching staff, support teams, and partners whose relentless efforts continue to elevate Indian wrestling on the global stage. "This is a proud moment for Indian Wrestling. The commitment, confidence, and courage displayed by our young athletes, especially the women wrestlers, show the promising future of wrestling in India,” said a WFI spokesperson.

The championship continues in Athens, where Indian wrestlers are set to compete in the remaining bouts in the Freestyle category. Lacky (110 kg) has advanced to the gold medal bout, scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Unfortunately, two Freestyle wrestlers, Saurabh Yadav (82 Kg) and Arjun Ruhil (92 Kg), were unable to travel to Athens due to the non-issuance of visas. Arjun Ruhil, the reigning Asian Champion, was a strong medal contender, and his absence is a significant setback for the Indian team.

--IANS

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