Wrestler Kajal Dhochak returned from the Wrestling World Championships in Kazakhstan with a historic silver medal and an unshakeable belief: she will be on the mat at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The 18-year-old, competing in the 76kg category, became the first Indian woman wrestler to clinch a medal in a heavyweight category at the World Championships — a milestone she says has reset her ambitions entirely.

A Historic Silver and What It Means

Making her Senior World Championships debut, Kajal arrived in Kazakhstan already carrying two U20 world titles. In the 76kg final, she faced Ukraine's Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, a two-time European champion. The bout was fiercely contested — Kajal twice held the lead on criteria — before she eventually fell 6-8 to settle for silver.

'My weight category is in the Olympics, and next year the Olympic qualifications are also going to be held. After the way I fought my bouts, I am 100 percent confident in myself that I will secure an Olympic qualification,' Kajal said at a media roundtable on Sunday.

How the Final Unfolded

With the score tied 2-2 on criteria in the second period, Alpyeyeva landed a double-leg takedown. Kajal responded with a trip for a takedown of her own, briefly levelling proceedings. However, Alpyeyeva followed up with another double-leg takedown and a 2-point exposure to open a four-point lead. Kajal clawed one back with a takedown in the final six seconds but ran out of time attempting a turn that would have won her the gold.

'The score was 4-4, and I was practically winning. If I hadn't turned defensive in the very last moment and played attacking instead, the gold would have been mine,' she said, acknowledging the decisive lapse in composure.

Areas to Work On Before the Olympic Cycle

Kajal was candid about the tactical adjustments she and her coaches are making ahead of the qualification season. 'The coaches have said that we will work a bit on defense. We shouldn't turn defensive in the dying seconds; the attacking approach we maintain at the beginning needs to be sustained right until the end,' she explained. These corrections, she stressed, are non-negotiable with LA 2028 on the horizon.

Notably, Kajal expressed confidence about her record against the field, including Alpyeyeva. 'I have previously defeated all the wrestlers whom I faced at the World Championships. And the one I had my final bout against — I have beaten her before too,' she said.

Redemption After Asian Games Heartbreak

The World Championships silver carries added emotional weight for the JSW athlete, who was denied an Asian Games berth — to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan — following a dramatic trials defeat. 'In the final of the Asian Games trials, when only a few seconds were left, I felt like my selection was done... But in the final seconds, the match completely flipped. It took me some time to process what I had lost,' she recalled.

The setback, she said, ultimately sharpened her focus. 'After that, I started training for the World Championships, and now I've won a medal there.' This is the second World Championships medal in a senior heavyweight category for Indian women's wrestling — and the first of its kind for Kajal's weight class.

What's Next for Kajal Dhochak

Despite the historic achievement, Kajal is giving herself no time to rest. Up next are the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships trials, the Senior National Championships, the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), and the Senior Asian Rankings. 'When everything is being done for wrestling, what is the point of taking a break?' she said. With Olympic qualification bouts reportedly scheduled for next year, every competitive outing now counts toward her LA 2028 ambitions.