India Finish Ulaanbaatar Open with 17 Medals as Freestyle Wrestlers Shine on Final Day

India capped off a highly successful campaign at the Ulaanbaatar Open Senior Ranking Series 2026 with an impressive haul of 17 medals across Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Women’s Wrestling categories. 

The final day belonged to the freestyle wrestlers, who delivered three gold medals and four bronze medals to help India secure a place among the top-performing nations at the prestigious international event in Mongolia. Deepak, Dinesh Dhankhar and Sagar Jaglan emerged as the stars of the final day, each winning gold in their respective weight categories as Indian wrestling continued its strong run against some of the world's leading wrestling nations.

The overall performance saw India finish second in the Men’s Freestyle team standings behind Russia, while the Greco-Roman team created history by winning the overall team championship with a dominant tally of 119 points. The women’s team also made a major contribution, collecting seven medals and finishing among the strongest squads at the tournament.

The 17-medal return once again highlighted the growing depth of Indian wrestling across all three disciplines as the country builds momentum towards major international competitions later this year.

One of the most convincing performances of the day came from Deepak in the men's 61kg freestyle division. The Indian wrestler produced a commanding display in the gold medal bout, defeating Kazakhstan’s Assyl Aitakyn 6-0. Deepak controlled the contest from start to finish, combining strong defence with aggressive attacks to deny his opponent any scoring opportunities.

His title-winning performance underlined his consistency on the international circuit and added another significant medal to India’s tally.

In the men’s 125kg category, Dinesh Dhankhar continued his excellent form by securing the gold medal. The Indian heavyweight edged Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek 2-0 in a closely contested final. Earlier in the tournament, Dinesh had registered one of the standout victories of the event by defeating World Championship bronze medallist Robert Baran of Poland in the quarterfinals.

His ability to overcome world-class opposition throughout the tournament demonstrated the progress he has made at the international level. While he narrowly missed out on an Asian Games berth earlier this season, his performance in Mongolia served as a strong statement of his capabilities.

Sagar Jaglan completed India's golden treble in freestyle wrestling by winning the men's 74kg title. The Indian wrestler defeated Russia’s Tamir Eshinimaev 3-2 in a tense final that was decided by fine margins. Sagar showcased excellent defensive wrestling during the closing moments of the bout to protect his narrow lead and secure victory.

The gold medal marked an important milestone for Sagar, who has consistently been among India’s top freestyle wrestlers but had been searching for a major international title. His success in Mongolia provides a significant confidence boost ahead of future international assignments.

India’s freestyle wrestlers added four bronze medals to complete a dominant final day. In the 57kg category, Sumit defeated Kazakhstan’s Abzal Okenov 6-3 to secure a place on the podium.

Kumar Mohit delivered one of the most attacking performances of the day in the 65kg division, overpowering Kazakhstan’s Ossimzhan Dastanbek 17-6 to claim bronze. Jaideep Narwal ensured India placed two wrestlers on the podium in the 74kg category by winning bronze after defeating Mongolia’s Tolui Munkhbat 15-4.

In the 97kg category, Vicky produced a disciplined performance to beat Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 4-0 and secure another bronze medal for India.

The four bronze medals reinforced the depth available within India’s freestyle wrestling programme.

Earlier in the tournament, India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers produced one of their finest collective performances in recent years. Sunil captured gold in the 87kg category after defeating Azad Salidinov 4-1 in the final, while Nitesh secured the 97kg title with a hard-fought 13-9 victory over Nurassyl Amanaly. Sahil added a bronze medal in the 60kg category, helping India finish as overall team champions in Greco-Roman wrestling with 119 points.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/kajal-dhochak-wins-gold-as-india-finish-runners-up-in-women-s-team-standings-at-ulaanbaatar-open

The achievement marked a historic moment for Indian wrestling, as Greco-Roman athletes have traditionally faced stronger competition from Central Asian and European nations.

The women’s team also played a crucial role in India’s success in Mongolia. Manisha Bhanwala produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating reigning World and Asian Championship silver medallist Son Il-Sim of North Korea to win gold in the 57kg category. Neha Sangwan captured the 59kg title after defeating Pyol Hong of North Korea 5-3, while Kajal Dhochak dominated the 76kg final with an 8-0 victory over Nigeria’s Damola Hannah Ojo.

India’s bronze medals came through Neelam Sirohi (50kg), Hansika Lamba (55kg), Mansi Ahlawat (62kg) and Priya Malik (76kg).

The women’s squad eventually finished second in the overall team standings behind North Korea.

India’s final tally of 17 medals underlines the country's growing strength across all wrestling disciplines. More importantly, the performances came against elite opposition from Russia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Mongolia, Poland and several other wrestling powerhouses.

With major international events approaching later this year, including World Championships and continental competitions, the results from Ulaanbaatar provide valuable momentum and confidence for the Indian contingent.

The combination of established stars and emerging wrestlers delivering medals across all three disciplines suggests Indian wrestling remains on an upward trajectory. The Ulaanbaatar Open may have concluded, but the performances in Mongolia have once again demonstrated that India is becoming an increasingly formidable force on the global wrestling stage.