India Win Three Golds, Finish With Eight Medals on Day Two of U23 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026

India continued its outstanding campaign at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 in Da Nang, Vietnam, with a remarkable medal haul on the second day of competition as Indian wrestlers secured three gold medals and finished the day with eight medals overall.

Leading the charge for India were Mansi Lather, Kajal and Sumit, all of whom produced dominant performances in their respective finals to stand on top of the podium at the Tien Son Sport Center. The latest medal rush further highlighted the growing strength and depth of Indian wrestling across both women’s and Greco-Roman categories, with multiple young wrestlers making a strong statement on the continental stage.

Mansi Lather delivered one of the most commanding performances of the day in the women’s 68kg final. Facing Uzbekistan’s Firuza Esenbaeva, the Indian wrestler completely controlled the bout from the opening exchanges and secured an emphatic 14-1 victory.

Her attacking approach and technical sharpness gave the Uzbek wrestler little opportunity to settle into the contest. Mansi consistently scored points through aggressive transitions and superior mat control, eventually sealing the gold medal in dominant fashion.

Kajal was equally impressive in the women’s 76kg final.

The Indian grappler overwhelmed Kyrgyzstan’s Aizharkyn Zhanybekova in a one-sided contest, cruising to a clinical 10-0 victory to claim the gold medal. Kajal looked physically stronger and tactically superior throughout the match, showcasing why she is regarded as one of India’s brightest young wrestling prospects. The victory added another major international medal to Kajal’s rapidly growing résumé and further reinforced her reputation as a future star for Indian wrestling.

In the Greco-Roman category, Sumit ensured India’s golden run continued with a brilliant performance in the 63kg final. He defeated Uzbekistan’s Ozodbek Khalilboev 12-2 in a technically dominant display.

Sumit wrestled with confidence and composure, controlling the pace of the contest while consistently finding scoring opportunities. His commanding victory completed India’s tally of three gold medals on the day. Apart from the gold medal winners, India also picked up two silver medals through Sweety and Neha.

Sweety came agonisingly close to winning gold in her category but eventually settled for silver after a hard-fought 5-7 defeat against Vietnam’s Ngoc L. Do in the final. Competing in front of a vocal home crowd, the Vietnamese wrestler managed to edge the closely contested bout despite a spirited effort from the Indian grappler.

Neha also produced a strong run to the final in the women’s 59kg category before losing 5-9 to Uzbekistan’s Laylokhon Sobirova in the gold medal bout. Despite the defeat, Neha’s silver medal represented another encouraging result for India’s women’s wrestling programme, which continues to produce consistent international performers at junior and U23 level.

India’s medal tally was further boosted by three bronze medals.

Ahilya S. Shinde delivered a dominant display in her bronze medal playoff, defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Arruke Kadyrbek Kyzy 13-2. Ahilya looked aggressive throughout the bout and secured the medal comfortably with a technically superior performance. In the Greco-Roman events carried over from the opening day, Neeraj Patel secured bronze in the 55kg category after an outstanding 8-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Rauan Bekimov.

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Neeraj showcased excellent technique and tactical discipline, completely shutting down his opponent while steadily building his points tally. Rohit Bura added another bronze medal in the 87kg category with a commanding 9-0 victory against Kyrgyzstan’s Artykbek Alymbek Uulu. Rohit dominated the contest from start to finish and never allowed his opponent to gain momentum.

The impressive overall performance drew praise from Wrestling Federation of India President Sanjay Singh, who lauded the wrestlers for their determination and success on the continental stage.

“Our wrestlers have made the entire country exceptionally proud today with their phenomenal performances on the mat. Winning gold and adding so many medals at a prestigious continental event shows the depth, determination, and discipline of Indian wrestling,” Sanjay Singh said. “I extend my heartiest congratulations to Mansi, Kajal, Sumit, Sweety, Neha, Ahilya, Neeraj, and Rohit for their medals. Their hard work has paid off, and I hope the rest of the team continues this positive momentum in the upcoming bouts,” he added.

India’s strong showing in Da Nang once again underlined the country’s impressive pipeline of young wrestling talent. Over the past decade, India has consistently emerged as one of Asia’s strongest wrestling nations, and performances at junior and U23 level continue to indicate a bright future ahead. The dominance shown by Indian wrestlers across different categories also reflects the growing quality of training systems, domestic competition structures and athlete development pathways being established within the country.

As the championships continue over the coming days, India will now look to build on this momentum and add more medals across freestyle and remaining Greco-Roman categories.

With three gold medals already secured on day two and eight podium finishes overall, the Indian contingent has firmly established itself as one of the standout teams at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026.