Lalit Enters Gold Medal Bout at Asian Wrestling Championships 2026
India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers delivered a mixed performance on the opening day of the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with Lalit emerging as the standout performer by securing a place in the gold medal bout in the men’s 55kg category.
New Delhi: India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers delivered a mixed performance on the opening day of the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with Lalit emerging as the standout performer by securing a place in the gold medal bout in the men’s 55kg category.
The 23-year-old, a former U-23 Asian Championships bronze medallist, produced a dominant display in the semifinals, defeating China’s Huoying Shi by an impressive 11-3 margin. Lalit will now face Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Botirov, the 2025 Asian Championships bronze medallist, who edged past local favourite Ulan Uulu 5-3 in the other semifinal.
Meanwhile, Aman (77kg) and former Asian champion Sunil Kumar will compete for bronze medals after suffering defeats in their respective semifinals. Aman lost to Iran’s Ali Oskou 13-3 and will now take on South Korea’s Yeonghun Noh in the bronze medal bout. Sunil Kumar, competing in the 87kg category, went down 0-8 to Iran’s Gholamreza Farokhisenjani.
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In other results, India’s campaign faced setbacks as Sunny Kumar was eliminated in the 65kg category after losing to Kazakhstan’s Saifulla Kurman in the qualification round. Joginder Rathee also bowed out in the 130kg division following a quarterfinal defeat to South Korea’s Minseok Kim, whose subsequent loss in the semifinals ended India’s hopes of a repechage opportunity.
India’s challenge, however, continues with five more wrestlers—Sahil (60kg), Sachin Sahrawat (67kg), Anil (72kg), Prince (82kg), and Nitesh (97kg)—set to compete on Tuesday as the country looks to add more medals to its tally.
