Indian Wrestlers Shine at Under-23 World Wrestling Championships

In a remarkable display of talent, Indian wrestlers Komal and Amruta Pujari have made headlines at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas. Komal clinched a bronze medal in the women's 59kg category, while Amruta advanced to the finals in the 72kg division after two impressive victories. The competition also saw other Indian wrestlers vying for bronze medals, showcasing the depth of talent in Indian wrestling. However, visa issues affected several athletes, limiting their participation in various weight categories. Read on to learn more about their journeys and achievements at this prestigious event.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 17, 2026, 00:22 IST

Komal and Amruta Excel in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, USA, on October 16, India's Komal secured a bronze medal in the women's 59kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships. Meanwhile, Amruta Pujari made her way to the finals in the 72kg category after achieving two impressive pinfall victories.

Komal triumphed over Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova with a score of 7-2 in the bronze-medal match, as reported in a press release. Earlier in the competition, she had a narrow victory against Canada's Ella Finding, winning on criteria after their match ended in a 1-1 tie, and then defeated Moldova's Madalina Prisacari with a score of 8-3. Her journey to the semifinals was halted by Ukraine's Alina Filipovych, who won by technical superiority, leading Komal to the bronze-medal match.

Amruta Pujari, hailing from Solapur, Maharashtra, is set to face Ukraine's Iryna Zablotska for the gold medal. She began her tournament with a fall against Kazakhstan's Sabyrzhanova and followed it up with another pin against China's Wenjin Qiu in the semifinals. Pujari established a commanding 7-1 lead over Sabyrzhanova before finishing the match by fall. In her semifinal bout against Qiu, she was ahead 10-8 when she secured the crucial pin to advance to the final.

Additionally, two other Indian wrestlers, Sweety and Vaishnavi Patil, remain in contention for bronze medals through the repechage rounds. Sweety, competing in the 53kg category, won against Kazakhstan's Dinara Dauylkyzy in the pre-quarterfinals but faced an 11-2 defeat to Cristelle Rodriguez Dobler in the quarterfinals. After Dobler reached the finals, Sweety was reinstated into the competition through repechage and will now compete against China's Xiaptong Zeng, with the winner moving on to the bronze-medal match.

Vaishnavi is set to face Japan's Haruka Kobaru in the 65kg repechage after previously losing to Russia's Ekaterina Koshkina by technical superiority in the quarterfinals.

Diksha Malik concluded her participation in the women's 76kg category, finishing in fifth place. India's first medal at the championships was claimed by Vishvajit More, who earned silver in the Greco-Roman 55kg event.

Unfortunately, visa issues prevented Indian wrestlers from participating in four women's categories—50kg, 55kg, 57kg, and 62kg—as well as five Greco-Roman divisions—60kg, 77kg, 82kg, 97kg, and 130kg.