Sujeet Kalkal wins gold, Indian wrestlers conclude U23 World Championships with 9 medals

Novi Sad [Serbia], October 28 : Indian wrestlers finished their U23 World Wrestling Championships 2025 campaign on Monday with a total of nine medals, which included one gold, two silver and six bronze medals.

Competitions were held in 10 weight categories each in men's and women's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, with India entering one athlete per category, except in men's freestyle 125kg. Around 700 wrestlers from across the globe competed in the Serbian city.

Sujeet Kalkal won the gold medal in the 65kg men's freestyle category on the final day of competition to end India's campaign on a high. It, however, was India's only podium finish in men's freestyle categories this year, according to Olympics.com.

Sujeet beat Uzbekistan's Umidjon Jalolov, a senior world championships bronze medallist and former U20 champion, 10-0 via technical superiority in the final bout.

This was India's fourth gold medal at the U23 World Wrestling Championships from eight editions.

Aman Sehrawat (men's 57kg) won the first in 2022 while Reetika Hooda, competing under the United World Wrestling flag in 2023, topped the women's 76kg division at the 2023 edition. Chirag Chikkara accounted for the solitary gold in the men's 57kg at last year's championships held in Tirana, Albania.

Indian wrestlers also finished the 2025 edition with a total of nine medals - one gold, one silver and seven bronze.

Earlier, Vishvajit More opened India's medal account at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2025 after bagging bronze in the Greco-Roman 55kg category, according to Olympics.com.

Interestingly, this was More's second straight bronze medal at the U23 World Championships. Interestingly, he had also registered the first medal for India at the 2024 edition.

Former U20 world champion Priya Malik won the first women's freestyle medal - a bronze - in the 76kg division. Asian U20 champion Neha Sharma also won bronze in the women's 57kg category to add a third U23 World Championships medal to her kitty.

Meanwhile, Nishu's run to the bronze in the women's 55kg included toppling 2024 world champion Moe Kiyooka of Japan in the round of 16.

Sarika (59kg) and Hansika Lamba (53kg) secured silver medals for India in their respective women's freestyle events.

With two silvers and five bronze, the Indian women wrestlers won the team title at the U23 World Wrestling Championships.

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