Indian wrestling has reasons to cheer after U-23 worlds meet

New Delhi: The rising talent in Indian wrestling stamped its class at the under-23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania this week. India returned with nine medals, but what was heartening to see was the two freestyle medals in relatively lower weight divisions.
Chirag Chikara won the 57kg title, showing India’s depth in a weight class in which Aman Sehrawat won bronze in the Paris Olympics. Sujeet Kalkal’s bronze in 70kg is equally impressive because of his consistent performance in international meets. It is a non-Olympic weight division, but Sujeet will drop to the Olympic weight of 65kg for major tournaments. He was in contention to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics in 65kg but fell just short at the World Qualifiers.
Chirag’s title underlined the tremendous reserves India has in the 57kg Olympic division. Indian wrestlers have come back with medals in this weight from the last two Olympics. Ravi Dahiya at Tokyo Olympics was a class act taking silver and Sehrawat then stunned everyone with his spectacular rise to the top in just two years. After winning the U-23 world title in 2022, Sehrawat moved to a different league, winning the Asian title and an Asian Games medal. With Dahiya injured, Sehrawat took over the mantle and won India’s only wrestling medal in Paris.
Chirag will be hoping for similar progress after becoming only the second Indian freestyle wrestler to win a U23 world title, emulating Sehrawat. “I have grown up idolising Ravi Dahiya and Aman Sehrawat. They are my inspiration,” says Chirag, who took bronze in the 2021 Cadet World Championships.
In Tirana, Chirag gave a dominant performance, showing composure in a close final against Karachov Abdymalik of Kyrgyzstan. “It was a tough bout and I was waiting for an opportunity, for my opponent to attack in the final stages, so that I could score from the counter,” says the wrestler from Sonepat.
Coach Virender Kumar, who went with the team for the U-23 worlds, says Chirag is a good find for Indian wrestling. “He is someone who fights according to the situation. There is no rush of blood. He can go far,” says the reputed coach whose trainees at the Chhatrasal Stadium include Ravi Dahiya and 86kg world championships silver medallist Deepak Punia.
“This weight category (57kg) is our strongest and you never know who will emerge from the shadows. We saw Aman toppling Ravi and go on to win a medal in Paris. There are still four years before LA (2028 Olympics) and more talent will surface. It is very competitive and everyone will have to be on their toes.”
Sujeet’s medal in Albania underscored his talent, and he is now keen to make a mark in 65kg at major tournaments. Unlike most Indian wrestlers who rely on power and endurance on the mat, Sujeet has developed his wrestling around technical nuances. The 22-year-old has come up the ranks at the international level with some brilliant performances in age group, winning medals at the World Junior Championships and Asian Junior Championships. At the U-23 worlds, Sujeet fought back from 0-4 down to beat Mustafo Akhmedov of Tajikistan 13-4.
The 65kg class is known for one of India’s finest wrestlers, Bajrang Punia, the four-time worlds and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist.
Punia, a prominent face of the wrestlers’ protest, could not win the domestic trials and missed out on Paris qualification tournaments. At 30, he may not have many years of wrestling left in him, and with the LA Olympics still far away it remains to be seen whether he has the fire to continue on the mat. He will be 34 by then and will have to be sharp enough to go past talent like Sujeet at home and make a case in 65kg. After Punia’s Tokyo medal, his form and fitness dipped but he still managed to come back, claiming a record fourth medal at the World Championships, in 2022 Belgrade. The beak in his training during last year’s protests left the 65kg open for younger wrestlers to stake claim. It took some time before Sujeet emerged a contender in the weight class.