World Wrestling Championships 2026: Sachin Sahrawat Suffers Heartbreak as India’s Greco-Roman Campaign Faces More Setbacks

India endured another difficult day in the Greco-Roman competition at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, as Sachin Sahrawat and Sahil failed to advance in their respective weight categories. 

Both Indian wrestlers suffered narrow or decisive defeats against experienced international opponents, leaving the contingent with more questions to answer as the championships progress.

Sachin came agonisingly close to upsetting South Korea’s Hanjae Chung in the 67kg category, losing 5-6 in a closely contested opening bout. Sahil, competing at 63kg, was eliminated after a 0-7 defeat to Bulgaria’s Edmond Nazaryan.

The results underlined the demanding standard of Greco-Roman wrestling at the world level, where a single scoring sequence or a late point can decide a wrestler’s tournament.

Sachin’s encounter against Chung was among the most closely contested bouts involving an Indian wrestler on the day. Chung, who had won silver in the 63kg category at the previous World Championships, moved up to 67kg for the competition. The South Korean entered the contest with considerable international experience, but Sachin proved capable of challenging him throughout the bout.

The Indian wrestler took advantage of a counter-exposure to move ahead 4-3. A subsequent unsuccessful challenge by South Korea added another point to Sachin’s tally, extending his advantage to 5-3.

Chung responded by earning a point for passivity, reducing the deficit to 5-4 and keeping the contest within reach. With the bout approaching its conclusion, the decisive moment came in the final second. Chung pushed Sachin out of bounds with just 0.1 seconds remaining. The officials confirmed the action after India challenged the decision, giving the South Korean a 6-5 victory.

For Sachin, the defeat was particularly frustrating because he had put himself in a position to win against a wrestler with a major international medal to his name. The late scoring action proved decisive, ending the Indian’s campaign despite his competitive showing.

Sahil unable to overcome Edmond Nazaryan

Sahil faced a difficult assignment against Bulgaria’s Edmond Nazaryan in the 63kg category. Nazaryan, the 2022 World Championship silver medallist and 2023 European champion, demonstrated his experience to secure a 7-0 victory.

The Bulgarian established control early, scoring a takedown and following it with a turn from the par terre position. He then added to his advantage in the second period, leaving Sahil unable to mount a comeback. The result highlighted the challenge confronting Indian wrestlers against opponents who can combine effective standing control with efficient ground attacks.

Sahil’s elimination also meant that India lost another representative without securing a victory in the competition. Against an opponent of Nazaryan’s calibre, the Indian needed to prevent early scoring opportunities and find ways to create pressure of his own. He was unable to do so.

The day’s action demonstrated the depth of competition in Astana, with several established names advancing to the semifinals across the 63kg, 67kg and 87kg divisions.

At 67kg, Iran’s reigning world champion Saeid Esmaeili defeated Kazakhstan’s Bagdat Sabaz 7-2 to progress. Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov also advanced after beating South Korea’s Chung 6-1 in the quarterfinals, while Uzbekistan’s Aytjan Khalmakhanov defeated former Olympic champion Luis Orta of Cuba 6-4.

Armenia’s Slavik Galstyan secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Norway’s Haavard Joergensen to complete the semifinal line-up in the category. The 63kg division featured equally strong performances. Nazaryan progressed alongside Azerbaijan’s Nihat Mammadli, Russia’s Sergey Emelin and Armenia’s Karen Aslanyan.

At 87kg, Olympic champion Semen Novikov of Bulgaria reached the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over Georgia’s Lasha Gobadze. Iran’s Alireza Mohmadi, Armenia’s Gevorg Tadevosyan and Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadkodir Rasulov also advanced.

These results illustrated the level of technical precision and tactical discipline required to progress deep into a World Championships draw.

For India, Sachin’s narrow defeat will be particularly difficult to accept because the match remained undecided until the final fraction of a second. However, the result also demonstrates the importance of maintaining concentration and defending the scoring area until the referee signals the end.

Sahil’s loss presents a different lesson: against experienced international wrestlers, preventing early points is essential to remaining competitive. Once an opponent establishes control and begins scoring from par terre, recovering becomes considerably more difficult.

Both wrestlers will need to take lessons from their performances as India continues its campaign in Astana. The broader challenge remains improving consistency against the strongest Greco-Roman nations. Indian wrestlers have shown the ability to compete in individual exchanges, but converting those moments into match-winning performances remains crucial.

India’s results against Chung and Nazaryan offered contrasting reminders of what separates competitive performances from progression at the World Championships. Sachin pushed a decorated opponent to the final second, while Sahil was unable to break through against a seasoned European contender.

The immediate disappointment is clear: neither Indian wrestler advanced, and both weight categories ended without an Indian semifinalist.

For the Indian contingent, the priority will be to build on the experience, address the technical details that decided these bouts and improve execution under pressure. 

At a tournament where the margins between victory and elimination can be extremely small, those adjustments could make the difference in future international competitions.