Vishwajit More Wins Historic Silver Medal at U23 Wrestling World Championship
Indian wrestler Vishwajit More secures silver in Greco-Roman at the U23 World Championship, marking a significant achievement for India.
Las Vegas, October 15 (Daily Kiran) : Indian wrestler Vishwajit Ramchandra More made history on October 15, 2026, by winning the country’s first silver medal in the Greco-Roman category at the U23 World Championship held in Las Vegas.
Having previously secured two bronze medals at the U23 world level, More faced Georgia’s Koba Karumidze in the men’s 55-kilogram Greco-Roman final. In a nail-biting finish, More lost 12-13, falling short of becoming the first Indian wrestler to claim gold in this event. He is the only Greco-Roman wrestler from India to earn two medals at the U23 World Championship and was also the first Indian to reach the finals in this category.
More’s journey to the finals was impressive. He began his campaign by defeating Mexico’s Isaac Marin Mata 10-8. In the quarterfinals, he faced Iran’s under-20 world champion, Armin Shamsipour, who was nursing a shoulder injury. More capitalized on this opportunity, winning decisively with an 8-1 score using a four-pointer throw.
The semifinal against Russia’s Malik Gigiyev was equally thrilling, with both wrestlers taking advantage of challenges to the referee’s decisions. More ultimately secured victory with a score of 6-4. Entering the final, he aimed to become the first Indian to win gold in the Greco-Roman category at the U23 World Championship. However, despite his efforts, he fell short against the Georgian wrestler, who had also faced tough competition in the semifinals against Kyrgyzstan’s Barsbek Asankozhoev.
India’s campaign faced an administrative hurdle prior to the championship. Nine Indian wrestlers, including those in Greco-Roman and women’s categories, were denied visas to compete because they were under 20 and lacked full-time employment.
Wrestling Federation of India president Sanjay Singh remarked that the U.S. Embassy rejected the visas on the grounds of unemployment. He stated, “This is the first time in history this has happened. Even the president of UWW wrote to them about this issue. The visa rejection was entirely the fault of the U.S. Embassy, and as a result, India lost out on gold medals. At least two of the wrestlers denied visas were strong contenders for gold.”
