Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi each won silver at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana on 28 October after losing their finals, the first time two Indian women have competed for gold at the same edition. Kajal, 18, lost 6-8 to Ukraine's Anastasiya Alpyeyeva in the 76 kg final on her senior Worlds debut, while Neelam, 26, was beaten by fall by Japan's Yui Susaki in the 50 kg final after trailing 0-5, according to reports based on a Wrestling Federation of India statement. Kajal had reached the final by recovering from 1-7 down to beat Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7, and Neelam by beating Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova 7-3. Federation president Sanjay Singh called it "a proud moment for Indian wrestling."
The argument that these silvers are a big achievement rests on who they beat and what they mean for the sport. Kajal is a teenager who had already won two world titles at U20 level and who, in her first senior world championships, reached the final of a heavy weight class in which India has little tradition, a result that outlets reported as the first world medal won by an Indian heavyweight wrestler. Her semifinal comeback from six points down showed composure that is rare in a debutant. Neelam, 26, reached the quarterfinals after an injury withdrawal by Russia's Elizaveta Smirnova, then beaten a Kazakh opponent in the semifinal. Only one Indian woman, Anshu Malik in 2021, had reached a world final before this year, and now two have done so together, which confirms the strength of the women's team.
The counterargument is that both athletes lost, and the gap that remains is clear. Neelam trailed 0-5 against Yui Susaki, a four-time world champion, and lost by fall, which shows the gap to the best in the world in her weight, while Kajal's loss in the 76 kg final was by only two points but still showed that she was a step behind in the closing minutes. India's overall campaign was also modest: Rajnita beat a former world silver medallist at 65 kg but lost the next bout and had to go to the repechage, Neha Sharma went out in the round of 16 at 57 kg and the Greco-Roman team did not win a medal. A silver is not a gold, and Indian wrestling's recent record of world titles for women is still thin compared with Japan, whose Yui Susaki is a four-time world champion.
The result matters for the future of Indian women's wrestling and for its place in the national sporting landscape. Two finalists at a single World Championships, one of them 18, suggest that a strong generation is coming through, and that the programmes that developed Kajal at junior level are producing results. The silver medals are also a reminder of how fine the margins are: Kajal lost by two points and Neelam trailed 0-5 before being pinned, so a better start could be the difference between silver and gold. It will also influence selection and funding ahead of the next Olympic cycle, and it increases the pressure on the federation to give young athletes international exposure and good coaching. Results such as these also help build confidence in the sport, and they offer a model for girls in the akharas and training centres of Haryana and elsewhere who are considering a career in wrestling.
Two silver medals in one day make a very strong week for Indian women's wrestling, and Kajal's age, 18, makes the outlook brighter for the years leading to the next Olympic Games. The task for both athletes now is to turn the experience of a final into a gold medal.
Leave a Reply