Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 6 : The Senior National Wrestling Championships 2024 got off to a rollicking start in the Men's Freestyle Category at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru as Haryana stamped their authority by securing four gold medals on the opening day. Host state Karnataka also had plenty to rejoice as Rohan Ghevadi won silver in the men's 74kg category.
In a surprising turn of events, Services Sports Control Board's (SSCB) Pankaj pulled off a massive upset by outwitting Madhya Pradesh's top seed Lalit Kaushal 6-0 in a one-sided contest to claim top honours in the men's 61kg freestyle category. Incidentally, this was Lalit's second medal at the Senior Nationals in as many editions, having won the bronze in the previous Nationals held in Pune.
Haryana's Anuj Kumar, who competed at the 2023 Senior World Championships, took home the gold in the men's 70kg category after getting the better of SSCB's Sharwan, while local boy Rohan Ghevadi put up a tough fight but lost by technical superiority 4-14 to SSCB's Jaideep in the men's 74kg final to win silver and bag host state Karnataka's first medal of the championships.
Karnataka came close to increasing their tally but Mahesh Kumar fell short in his bid for the bronze medal in the men's 70kg category after being undone by Uttar Pradesh's Sarvesh Yadav.
It was an intense battle for the men's 86kg crown as Pune's Sandeep Singh took on Delhi's Mukul Dahiya in a thrilling encounter. The two grapplers were at it for the entirety of six minutes before Mukul held on to a nerve-wracking 5-4 win for the yellow metal. Sachin was among the star performers of the day as he needed less than three minutes to clinch a commanding 10-0 win over Chandigarh's Tanuj Antil in the men's 92kg final and scalp Haryana's second gold of the day.
Haryana's gold rush didn't stop there - Siddharth (65kg) and Amit (79kg) were on the money to extend their state's tally. Siddharth beat SSCB's Mohit Kumar and Amit got past Uttar Pradesh's Anuj Tomar as Haryana topped the standings at the end of the first day with a mammoth 175 points. SSCB is placed second with 154 points, while Delhi is ranked third with 128 points.
Earlier, in the day Bellippady Gunaranjan Shetty, President of Karnataka Wrestling Association, welcomed athletes from across the country at the opening ceremony of the Senior National Wrestling Championship 2024 in Bengaluru. The event featured live performances of traditional dances and was graced by music maestro Dr. Gurukiran, who composed the event's anthem, actress Sanjana Galrani, and other notable members of the community.
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