India’s Freestyle Wrestlers Continue U23 Asian Championships Domination With Nine-Medal Haul in Vietnam

India’s young freestyle wrestlers continued their impressive run at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam, as Kumar Mohit and Chandermohan added two more gold medals to the country’s growing tally on Tuesday.

The latest performances pushed India’s freestyle medal count to nine overall, underlining the remarkable depth currently emerging in Indian wrestling at junior and U23 level. After the previous day’s gold-medal performances from Akshay T Dhere and Vicky, India once again produced multiple podium finishes across categories, collecting medals in almost every major session.

Among the standout performances of the day came from Kumar Mohit in the 65kg freestyle category. Mohit looked in complete control during the gold-medal bout against Kyrgyzstan’s Oskonbai A. Abdisamatov, combining aggressive attacks with strong defensive positioning throughout the contest.

The Indian wrestler eventually secured a commanding 12-4 victory to clinch gold. What stood out most during the bout was Mohit’s composure under pressure. Even when his Kyrgyz opponent attempted to force momentum shifts, the Indian maintained tactical discipline and continued scoring consistently.

The performance further reinforced India’s growing strength in lightweight freestyle categories, traditionally among the most competitive divisions in Asian wrestling.

If Mohit’s victory reflected dominance, Chandermohan delivered one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament so far. Competing in the 79kg category, Chandermohan edged Kazakhstan’s Yerkhan Abil in a thrilling 7-6 final to secure another gold for India. The contest remained intensely competitive throughout, with both wrestlers exchanging points repeatedly and neither able to establish a comfortable advantage.

In the decisive moments, however, Chandermohan managed to hold his nerve and execute crucial scoring moves that ultimately separated him from the Kazakh wrestler.

Matches against Kazakhstan in freestyle wrestling are rarely straightforward because of the Central Asian nation’s deep wrestling pedigree and physical intensity. That made Chandermohan’s victory particularly significant.

India also came extremely close to another gold medal through Deepak in the 61kg division. The Indian wrestler fought a closely contested final against Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov in a bout that ended 4-4. However, despite the tied scoreline, the Kazakh wrestler secured victory on criteria, leaving Deepak with the silver medal.

Although narrowly missing gold, the performance still reflected India’s consistent ability to reach finals across weight categories — an important indicator of overall squad depth.

India’s medal rush continued in the 74kg category where another Indian wrestler named Deepak secured bronze. The Indian grappler completely dominated Turkmenistan’s Vatan Annairazov in the bronze-medal bout, recording a comprehensive 10-0 victory. The technical superiority displayed during the match highlighted India’s tactical preparation and conditioning levels across the tournament.

India’s strong day did not end there. Kumar Punit added another silver medal in the 92kg category despite suffering a difficult 1-12 defeat against Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukbek Soorombekov in the final. Meanwhile, Mor Sachin claimed bronze in the 86kg division after defeating Boburbek Ruzimboev 4-1.

In the heavyweight 125kg category, Lacky finished with silver after losing 0-10 to Kazakhstan’s Rizabek Aitmukhan in the title clash. Even in bouts ending in defeat, India consistently remained among the medal positions a major sign of sustained competitiveness across categories.

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Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the championships so far has been the sheer spread of India’s success. This is no longer a scenario where India depends on one or two standout wrestlers to deliver medals. Instead, athletes across weight divisions are reaching semifinals, finals and podium matches consistently.

That depth matters enormously at continental and global level because it reflects the health of the broader wrestling development system rather than isolated individual brilliance.

Sanjay Singh, president of the Wrestling Federation of India, praised the team’s consistency after another successful day. He specifically highlighted the performances of Mohit and Chandermohan while also acknowledging the overall contribution from the entire freestyle squad and coaching staff. The federation will particularly appreciate the balance between gold-medal success and overall medal accumulation because Asian wrestling remains among the toughest continental circuits globally.

Countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Iran consistently produce world-level wrestlers, making every medal highly competitive.

The U23 Asian Championships often provide one of the clearest indicators of future senior-level potential. Many wrestlers competing at this level eventually transition into Olympic and World Championship contenders over the next few years. For India, the performances in Vietnam suggest the country’s wrestling pipeline remains extremely strong despite administrative turbulence and structural challenges over the past few seasons.

Most importantly, India’s younger wrestlers are no longer intimidated by traditionally dominant Central Asian opponents.

Instead, they are increasingly entering tournaments expecting to fight for gold medals and delivering exactly that.