Day 4 of the World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, proved to be a day of mixed fortunes for the Indian contingent, with only one wrestler managing to secure a victory while four others were ousted from their respective categories. The championship is taking place from September 13 to 21, 2025, and it is the first time Croatia is hosting the event.
India has sent a full-strength squad to the World Wrestling Championships 2025, with representation in each weight category in men's freestyle, women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman events.
Disappointing start for men's freestyle team
The men's freestyle team had a tough start to the competition. On the first day, all four wrestlers in action were defeated in their opening bouts. Udit Singh (61kg), Rohit (70kg) and Rajat (125kg) were all eliminated. Mukul Dahiya (86kg) lost to Zahid Valencia of the United States.
** एकमात्र जीत**
Deepak Punia (92kg), an Olympian and 2019 World Championships silver medalist, managed to win his qualifier before losing to Osman Nurmagomedov of Azerbaijan.
Aman Sehrawat's Disqualification
Adding to India's woes, Olympic medalist Aman Sehrawat (57kg) was disqualified due to being overweight at the weigh-in. Sehrawat, a Paris 2024 bronze medalist, was reportedly unwell and failed to cut down his weight.
Mukul Dahiya's Repechage and Bronze Medal Match
Mukul Dahiya (86kg) after losing to Zahid Valencia in the qualification round, made it to the bronze medal match after winning two repechage bouts. However, he lost to Kamran Ghasempour of Iran.
Other Wrestlers
Amit (79kg) and Vikash Kumar (74kg) also exited the competition after losing their opening matches.
The performance on Day 4 highlights the challenges facing Indian wrestling on the global stage. While there have been promising performances in recent Asian meets, translating that success to the World Championships remains a hurdle.
