Amruta Pujari Eyes Gold, Komal Claims Bronze at U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026

Amruta Pujari stormed into the women’s 72kg final at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026 after defeating China’s Wenjin Qiu in a dramatic semifinal, while Komal secured a bronze medal in the 59kg category with a 7-2 victory.

India’s women wrestlers delivered a significant result at the U23 World Wrestling Championships, with Amruta Pujari emerging as the country’s sole finalist in the women’s competition this edition. Her progression to the gold-medal bout followed a challenging semifinal against Qiu, while Komal ensured India also had a podium finish in the 59kg category.

Pujari will now face Ukraine’s Iryna Zablotska in the 72kg final, with the Indian aiming to convert her impressive run into a world title.

Pujari secured her place in the final after overcoming China’s Wenjin Qiu in the women’s 72kg semifinal. The contest was reported as an 10-8 victory for the Indian, although the match account also highlighted a decisive fall that sent her into the gold-medal bout.

The result marked a major achievement for Pujari, who became the only one among India’s six women wrestlers to reach a final at this edition of the U23 World Championships.

The Indian demonstrated her ability to handle a high-pressure knockout contest against a Chinese opponent. With a place in the final at stake, Pujari found a way through a closely fought encounter and secured her passage to the championship bout.

Her victory also represented the second final for India at the U23 World Championships, according to the information accompanying the result. Pujari now has the opportunity to add a gold medal to the country’s campaign and become one of the standout performers of the competition.

The 72kg final will be an important test of her ability to sustain the form that carried her through the earlier rounds. Having secured her place in the final, she is now one victory away from claiming the title.

Iryna Zablotska Awaits in the Gold-Medal Bout

Pujari’s final opponent will be Ukraine’s Iryna Zablotska, who advanced to the gold-medal match after progressing through her side of the draw. The available match information showed Zablotska winning her semifinal against O. Erdene Ochir of Mongolia by a score of 2-1. That result set up a meeting between the Ukrainian and Pujari for the women’s 72kg title.

The final brings together two wrestlers who have navigated their respective routes to the championship bout. For Pujari, the challenge will be to build on her semifinal performance and maintain the composure required to win a world-level final.

The Indian will also carry the responsibility of being the country’s only women's finalist at this edition. While that places the spotlight firmly on her performance, reaching the final itself is a significant achievement for the Indian contingent.

Pujari’s run has given India a genuine opportunity to fight for gold in the women’s competition. The result of the final will determine whether she can complete that journey with the championship title.

While Pujari prepared for the final, Komal delivered another positive result for India by winning bronze in the women’s 59kg category. Komal claimed the medal with a 7-2 victory, securing a place on the podium at the U23 World Championships. The win added to India’s medal tally and ensured the country’s women wrestlers finished the campaign with a medal in the category.

The bronze-medal performance was an important result in a tournament featuring strong international opposition. Unlike Pujari, who advanced to the final, Komal’s route ended with a third-place finish, but her victory still represented a successful outcome at the world championships.

Together, the results from Pujari and Komal provided India with two notable performances in the women’s wrestling competition: one medal secured and another gold-medal opportunity still to come.

India’s Women Wrestlers Make Their Mark

Pujari’s qualification for the final stood out because she was the only Indian among the six women wrestlers competing at the championship to reach the title bout. Her progression underlined the importance of converting opportunities in the knockout stages of an international tournament.

Komal’s bronze medal further strengthened India’s showing, giving the contingent a podium finish alongside Pujari’s run to the final. The performances also placed attention on the final stages of the competition, where Pujari will attempt to complete her campaign with a gold medal against Zablotska.

For now, India’s hopes in the women’s 72kg category rest on Pujari’s final. She has already overcome a difficult semifinal against China’s Qiu and earned the opportunity to compete for the world title.

With Komal having secured bronze, Pujari now has the chance to turn an encouraging Indian campaign into an even bigger achievement by winning the gold-medal bout at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026.