Kajal Dochak Golden Run Lights Up U20 World Championships in Bulgaria. PC: India Today
Kajal Dochak Golden Run Lights Up U20 World Championships in Bulgaria. PC: India Today

Kajal Dochak Golden Run Lights Up U20 World Championships in Bulgaria

Haryana’s 17-year-old Kajal Dochak produced the performance of her young career at the U20 World Wrestling Championships on Friday, winning the women’s 72kg gold medal after a hard-fought 8-6 victory over China’s Yuqi Liu in the final.

Kajal Dochak Golden Run Lights Up U20 World Championships in Bulgaria. PC: India Today
Kajal Dochak Golden Run Lights Up U20 World Championships in Bulgaria. PC: India Today

The result made her India’s second world champion at the event this week and underlined her growing reputation as one of the country’s brightest prospects.

The final itself was a test of nerves. Kajal raced to a 4-0 lead before Liu clawed back with counter-attacks. Despite running a fever, the Indian held her ground in the closing stages, relying on her trademark leg attacks to shut out the contest. “She was unwell both yesterday and today, but she fought through it,” said coach Ajay Malik. “Her double-leg and defensive counters made the difference.”

The bigger drama, though, came a day earlier in the semifinal against defending champion Jasmine Dolores Robinson of the USA. Robinson looked in complete control at 6-0, easing to victory, but Kajal slowed the pace, chipped away at the deficit, and turned the bout around in spectacular fashion, winning 13-6. That comeback, against a reigning world champion, set the tone for her golden finish.

Kajal’s early rounds showed the range of her game. Against Bulgaria’s Emili Mihaylova Apostolova, cheered on by a home crowd, she attacked relentlessly to win 15-4. In the quarterfinal against Kyrgyzstan’s Kaiyrkul Sharshebaeva, she flipped the script, relying on compact defence to post a 7-0 shutout.

Those contrasting displays, ruthless aggression in one bout, measured control in another, highlighted why the Sonipat teenager is considered special.

Wrestling runs in the Dochak family. Her uncle Krishan Dochak, a former international who trained alongside Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, said Kajal’s success was no accident. “She’s had a natural feel for leg locks and counters from a young age. To see her win at the world level is a proud moment for us,” he said.

India’s tally on the day was further boosted by three bronze medals. Shruti (50kg) beat Germany’s Josephine Wrensch 6-0, while Saarika (53kg) overpowered Poland’s Ilona Valchuk 11-0 on technical superiority. In men’s Greco-Roman, Suraj clinched bronze in the 60kg category by beating France’s Lucas Go Grasso.

With these results, India’s medal count at the championships climbed to nine, two gold, four silver and three bronze, a marked improvement from last year’s tally. Last year, India won seven medals in total, one gold, one silver and five bronze.

For Kajal, who has already won world titles at the U17 level and an Asian U20 gold earlier this year, the Samokov triumph is another step in her rapid rise. What makes it stand out is the way she responded to pressure, illness and big-name opponents without losing composure.

At just 17, her biggest challenges are still ahead. But this week in Bulgaria, Kajal Dochak showed that she has both the skill and temperament to carry Indian wrestling’s hopes into the future.

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