bhaskarlive

Wrestling: Kajal, Neelam win silver as two Indian women make history at World Championships

Digital Desk | Astana, Oct 28 (IANS) Indian wrestlers Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi concluded their historic run at the Senior World Championships, returning with two silver medals after their respective final bouts in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. In the 76kg title clash, the 18-year-old Kajal went up against Ukraines 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 Japans 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 Kyrgyzstans 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 Kazakhstans Zeinep Bayanova. Elsewhere, Rajnitas campaign in the 65kg category came to an end in the repechage round. She went down 2-6 to Japans Nana Ikehata, missing out on the opportunity to progress to the bronze medal match. The concluding matches for Women's Wrestling will be conducted on Thursday, with the final two weight classes, 55kg and 59kg, remaining. Earlier on Tuesday, Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi earned places in their respective finals, giving the country two women competing for gold at the same edition for the first time. For 18-year-old Kajal, the result marked an impressive transition to the senior stage after two U20 world titles. Making her senior World Championships debut, she recovered from 1-7 down to defeat Kyrgyzstans Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7 in the semifinals. Her earlier victories came against Lithuanias Kamile Griskiene Gaucaite and Mongolias Davaanasan Enkh Amar. Neelam, 26, secured her place in the final with a 7-3 semifinal win against Kazakhstans Zeinep Bayanova. She had previously defeated Belarus Natallia Varakina 6-0 and progressed through the quarterfinals following the injury withdrawal of Russias Elizaveta Smirnova.