Indian Wrestlers Shine at Senior World Championship in Astana

Astana, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : Indian wrestlers showcased their talent at the Senior World Championship in Astana on October 29, 2026. Manisha Bhanuwala advanced to the finals in the 59-kilogram category, while Tanu Sharma secured a silver medal in the 72-kilogram division.

In the semifinals, Manisha defeated Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhut to guarantee a silver medal for India. She is set to compete for gold against Abigail Elizabeth Nette from the United States on Friday. Earlier, Manisha opened her campaign with a strong 6-2 victory over Canada’s Lawrence Burgard in the pre-quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Tanu earned her silver by overcoming the USA’s Precious Rosanna Bell 9-5 in a hard-fought playoff for third place. Unfortunately, Ahilya Shinde was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 55-kilogram category. She began her journey with an 8-1 win against Cuba’s Yanelis Sanz Verdesia but lost to Turkey’s Tuba Demir 6-9 in the final eight.

In men’s freestyle, Vicky Huda remains hopeful for a medal in the 97-kilogram category. Despite a 2-12 loss to Japan’s Arash Yoshida in the quarterfinals, Vicky was given a second chance in the repechage round after Yoshida advanced to the finals. Sujeet Kalkal’s campaign in the 65-kilogram division has concluded.

Earlier in the tournament, Kajal Dhokak and Neelam Sirohi made history by returning with two silver medals after competing in their respective finals. Eighteen-year-old Kajal faced Ukraine’s Anastasia Alpyeyeva in the 76-kilogram title match. After winning two under-20 world titles, she made her senior world championship debut but fell short, losing 6-8 in a close contest.

In the 50-kilogram final, 26-year-old Neelam faced a tough challenge from four-time world champion Yui Susaki of Japan, ultimately losing after trailing 0-5.

This marks the first time two Indian women have competed in finals at the same edition of the World Championship, following in the footsteps of Anshu Malik, who became the first Indian woman to reach the finals in 2021.

Kajal demonstrated impressive resilience, bouncing back from a 1-7 deficit against Kyrgyzstan’s Aperi Medet Kaigi in the semifinals to win 10-7. Neelam also exhibited remarkable composure throughout the tournament, defeating Kazakhstan’s Jenep Bayanova 7-3 in the semifinals to secure her spot in the final.