Mohit Kumar becomes first Indian wrestler since 2019 to win U20 World Wrestling Championship
After narrowly defeating Eldar Akhmaduninov of Russia in the 61kg final on Wednesday, Mohit Kumar became the first Indian wrestler to win the junior world championship since 2019. Priya was set to become the only other woman to win the title for her nation.
In the championship match, Mohit was down 0-6 but the Russian, who is participating as an individual athlete, began to fatigue as the match went on, and the Indian seized the opportunity to score nine straight points. Just before the first period ended, Mohit joined in with a takedown manoeuvre, and following the break it was all one-way traffic.
Fast push-out points from Mohit frightened his worn-out opponent, who even requested a medical pause to regain his breath. Mohit continued to be aggressive, shattering Eldar's protection. Jaideep defeated Zhakshylyk Ruslanovich Baitashov of Kyrgyzstan to claim the bronze medal at 74 kg.
Meanwhile, Tuesday saw Sagar Jaglan (79 kg) win a silver, Deepak Chahal (97 kg), and Sagar (57 kg), win bronze. Rajat Ruhal will be competing for a medal in the 125 kg category on Thursday. He is competing against Canadian Karanveer Singh Mahil. A convincing technical victory against American Kennedy Alexis Blades in the semifinals of the women's tournament allowed Priya to advance to the 76kg final.
Blades made an aggressive start, but Priya started the scoring and didn't stop to consider her initial move. She will compete for the crown on Thursday against Laura Celine Kuehen of Germany. In the 53kg weight class, Antim Panghal made history by being the first Indian woman to win a world championship. In the pre-quarterfinals, she will begin the defence of her championship against Nikola Monika Wisniewska of Poland.
Only Arju, out of the six Indian women competing on Wednesday, made it to the medal round. Priyanshi Prajapat (50 kg), Jyoti (55 kg), and Nitika (59 kg) all withdrew early. Arju will compete for a bronze after losing her quarterfinal match to Elizaveta Petliakova 3-6.