The Commonwealth Wrestling Championships: World Championships medallists Kajal Dhochak, Neelam Sirohi and world U-23 silver medallist Amruta Pujari headline a strong Indian women’s contingent for the 2026 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships to be played in Polokwane, South Africa from December 4-6.
The team was finalised on Friday after a day-long selection trial here.
Neelam, who bagged the silver medal in the world championships at Astana, pinned Maharashtra’s Neha Chaugule in the 50kg final round. Kajal, who has also won the silver in Astana, dominated the 76kg final round against Vedika of Maharashtra to win 10-0.
Maharashtra’s Amruta also booked her spot with a comfortable win over Bipasha of RSPB in the 72kg category.
Amruta clinched a silver medal in the women’s 72 kg weight category at the ongoing Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas.
Building on an impressive campaign highlighted by two consecutive pinfall victories in the earlier rounds, Amruta faced a tough challenge in the final against Ukraine’s Iryna Zablotska. Despite a spirited effort, the Indian wrestler went down 0-6 in the gold-medal bout, settling for a hard-fought second place on the podium.
In the 76kg title clash, 18-year-old Kajal went up against Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Making her senior World Championships debut after securing two U20 world titles, Kajal put up a fierce fight but lost the closely contested bout 6-8 to finish with a silver medal.
Taking the mat in the 50kg final, 26-year-old Neelam faced a formidable challenge against Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki. She lost by fall after trailing 0-5.
The podium finishes marked a new milestone for Indian wrestling, as it was the first time two Indian women competed in the finals at the same edition of the World Championships. Their medals add to the breakthrough made by Anshu Malik, who became the first Indian woman to reach a World Championships final in 2021.
Kajal had earlier shown tremendous resilience in her path to the final, notably recovering from a 1-7 deficit to defeat Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7 in the semifinals.
Neelam similarly displayed great composure throughout the tournament, securing her final berth with a comfortable 7-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova.
The Commonwealth Wrestling Championships will also feature U-17 and U-20 competitions, trials for which were also held simultaneously.
Squad:
Women Wrestling:
Senior: Neelam Sirohi (50kg), Nishu (53kg), Ahilya Shinde (55kg), Simran (57kg), Neha Sangwan (59kg), Pushpa Yadav (62kg), Janvi (65kg), Srishti (68kg), Amruta Pujari (72kg), Kajal Dhochak (76kg)
U-17: Taniya (46kg), Rupankshi (53kg), Maisha (57kg), Manya Rajput (61kg)
U-20: Kajal (55kg), Deepika Nain (65kg), Vishakha (72kg), Muskan Narwal (76kg)
Article Source: IANS
