Kajal Dhochak, Neelam Sirohi Win Silver as Two Indian Women Make History at World Championships

Astana: Indian wrestlers Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi concluded their historic run at the World Championships on Wednesday, returning with two silver medals after their respective final bouts, according to a press release from the Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI).

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.

Elsewhere, Rajnita’s campaign in the 65kg category came to an end in the repechage round. She went down 2-6 to Japan’s Nana Ikehata, missing out on the opportunity to progress to the bronze medal match.

Tomorrow will see the concluding matches for women's wrestling, with the final two weight classes, 55kg and 59kg, remaining.

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