WFI Finalises India’s Women’s Squad for U23 World Wrestling Championships After Intense Selection Trials

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Monday finalised India’s women’s wrestling squad for the upcoming U23 World Wrestling Championships in the United States, following a high-intensity day of selection trials at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

The trials brought together some of the country's promising young women wrestlers, with competitors from traditional wrestling powerhouses, including Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, battling across all 10 weight categories for a place in the national contingent.

With places in the Indian team at stake, the competition was fierce throughout the day. The wrestlers who finished first in their respective categories earned the right to represent India at the upcoming World Championships, while the runners-up have also been retained as part of the national setup and will join the preparatory camp.

The depth of women's wrestling in India was evident throughout the selection process, with wrestlers from several states competing for the coveted national team berths. The trials covered all 10 women's weight categories, from 50 kg through 76 kg, providing an important platform for young grapplers to establish themselves at the international level.

At 50 kg, Parveen of Haryana secured first position, with Madhya Pradesh's Priyanshi finishing second. Haryana's Sweety topped the 53kg category, while Doli of Uttar Pradesh finished runner-up.

In the 55kg category, Maharashtra's Ahilya Shinde emerged victorious ahead of Haryana's Kajal. Delhi's Neha Sharma won the 57kg division, with Haryana's Simran taking second position.

Haryana continued its strong showing at 59kg, where Komal finished first and Anjali secured the runner-up position. The 62kg category was another Haryana-dominated contest, with Neha taking the top spot and Delhi's Nitika finishing second.

Maharashtra also produced several winners during the trials. Vaishnavi Patil won the 65kg category, defeating Haryana's Anjali, who finished second.

Maharashtra's Mansi Lather then claimed first position in the 68kg division, with Delhi's Srishti finishing runner-up. The state's success continued at 72kg, where Amruta Pujari topped the category ahead of Tanu Sharma of Haryana.

At 76kg, Haryana's Diksha Malik finished first, while fellow Haryana wrestler Manisha Bhanwala took second. The results underline the geographical spread of India's women's wrestling talent, with Haryana and Maharashtra producing multiple winners while Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also featured among the top two finishers.

Sanjay Singh praises depth in women’s wrestling

WFI President Sanjay Singh praised the quality of competition witnessed during the trials and highlighted the depth available in Indian women's wrestling. “The level of wrestling witnessed today at the IG Stadium demonstrates the incredible depth and strength of Indian women’s wrestling,” Singh said.

He noted that the bouts were closely contested and reflected the amount of preparation undertaken by the athletes ahead of the selection event. “Every bout was closely contested, proving how hard these athletes have been training,” he added.

Singh also congratulated both the winners and every wrestler who competed at the trials, expressing confidence that India's wrestlers can deliver strong performances on the international stage.

The WFI president also linked the current selection process to India's wider international calendar, with the federation expecting the country's wrestlers to perform strongly at both the Senior World Championships in Kazakhstan and the U23 World Championships in the USA.

One of the important aspects of the selection process is that the runners-up will not simply disappear from the national programme after narrowly missing out on selection. According to the WFI, the second-placed wrestlers will join the national camp, providing additional sparring opportunities and strengthening the depth available to the team.

This approach could be particularly valuable in the lead-up to major international competitions.

Training against high-quality domestic opponents allows selected wrestlers to prepare for different styles and match situations while also ensuring that the runners-up remain competition-ready for future opportunities. The system also gives the WFI a broader pool of athletes to work with rather than limiting the national setup exclusively to the 10 selected wrestlers.

The selected wrestlers are scheduled to assemble for an intensive preparatory camp before travelling for the international tournaments. The camp will provide the athletes and coaching staff with an opportunity to focus on technical preparation, match strategy and physical conditioning ahead of the U23 World Championships.

For the wrestlers who secured first position at the trials, the immediate objective will be to convert their domestic success into international performances.

Winning a selection trial is only the first step.

The U23 World Championships will bring together wrestlers from different countries, each competing with the same objective of securing medals. India's representatives will therefore need to make the transition from domestic competition to the international stage quickly.

The trials also offer a glimpse into the next generation of Indian women's wrestling.

With established names having already brought considerable success to the country, the development of a strong U23 pipeline remains crucial for maintaining India's competitiveness internationally. The results from the Indira Gandhi Stadium suggest that the talent pool remains deep, with wrestlers from multiple states pushing each other for national selection.

For Parveen, Sweety, Ahilya Shinde, Neha Sharma, Komal, Neha, Vaishnavi Patil, Mansi Lather, Amruta Pujari and Diksha Malik, the next challenge is now clear.

They have won their respective selection trials.

Now they must carry that momentum onto the world stage.

With the U23 World Wrestling Championships in the United States ahead, India's latest women's contingent will look to turn a fiercely contested domestic selection process into international success.