India’s young wrestlers continued their impressive rise on the continental stage with a powerful medal-winning display at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships in Vietnam on Sunday, clinching three gold medals along with multiple podium finishes across freestyle and Greco Roman categories. The Indian contingent once again showcased its growing depth and technical strength, delivering dominant performances against some of Asia’s strongest wrestling nations.
Leading the charge for India were Mansi Lather, Kajal, and Greco Roman wrestler Sumit, each producing commanding displays in their respective finals to secure gold medals and underline the country’s growing reputation in age-group wrestling competitions.
Mansi Lather emerged as one of the standout performers of the day in the women’s 68kg category. The Indian wrestler completely outclassed Uzbekistan’s Firuza Esenbaeva in the gold medal bout, storming to a one-sided 14-1 victory. Mansi looked in complete control throughout the contest, using her speed, attacking transitions, and tactical awareness to dominate the mat from the opening whistle.
Her triumph added another important international medal to India’s growing list of achievements in women’s wrestling, a discipline that has consistently delivered success for the country over the last decade through stars such as Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Antim Panghal.
Kajal also produced a flawless performance in the women’s 76kg final, overpowering Kyrgyzstan’s Aizharkyn Zhanybekova with a clinical 10-0 victory. The Indian wrestler barely allowed her opponent any scoring opportunities and wrapped up the bout comfortably through technical superiority.
The dominance shown by both Mansi and Kajal reflected India’s continued strength in women’s wrestling at the junior and U23 levels. Over recent years, India has emerged as one of Asia’s strongest nations in women’s wrestling, consistently challenging traditional powerhouses such as Japan, Kazakhstan, and China.
In the Greco Roman category, Sumit added a third gold medal to India’s tally with an equally convincing performance in the 63kg final. Facing Uzbekistan’s Ozodbek Khalilboev, the Indian grappler showcased superior control and aggressive attacking moves to secure a commanding 12-2 victory.
Greco Roman wrestling has historically been a challenging discipline for India compared to freestyle wrestling, but recent performances at junior and U23 levels suggest significant progress. Wrestlers like Sumit, Neeraj Patel, and Rohit Bura are part of a promising new generation aiming to elevate India’s standing in the format internationally.
Apart from the three gold medals, India also secured two silver and three bronze medals to further strengthen their overall medal tally at the championship.
Sweety came close to adding another gold but had to settle for silver after a hard-fought final against Vietnam’s Ngoc L. Do. The closely contested bout ended 7-5 in favour of the home wrestler despite a determined effort from the Indian athlete.
In the women’s 59kg category, Neha also displayed grit and resilience before losing 9-5 to Uzbekistan’s Laylokhon Sobirova in the gold medal clash. Despite the defeat, her silver medal added valuable points to India’s campaign and highlighted the consistency of Indian wrestlers across multiple weight divisions.
India’s bronze medal winners also impressed with dominant victories in their respective playoff bouts. Ahilya S. Shinde delivered one of the most emphatic performances of the day, defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Arruke Kadyrbek Kyzy 13-2 in the women’s category to secure a podium finish.
Meanwhile, in the Greco Roman events carried forward from the opening day, Neeraj Patel blanked Kazakhstan’s Rauan Bekimov 8-0 in the 55kg bronze medal bout. His technical discipline and defensive solidity ensured a comfortable victory. Rohit Bura added another bronze medal in the 87kg category after completely dominating Kyrgyzstan’s Artykbek Alymbek Uulu with a clinical 9-0 performance.
India’s continued success at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships reflects the strength of the country’s grassroots wrestling structure and the increasing investment in youth development programs. The championship has become an important platform for identifying future senior-level stars, with several Indian wrestlers using strong performances at junior and U23 events as stepping stones to international success.
With multiple medals already secured and several categories still remaining, India’s campaign in Vietnam has once again reinforced the nation’s growing stature as one of Asia’s wrestling powerhouses across both women’s and Greco Roman disciplines.
