U23 Wrestling Worlds: Komal wins bronze in 59 kg; Amruta Pujari in 72 kg final
Synopsis
India is building a medal haul at the U23 Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas — Komal delivered a bronze in the 59 kg category, Amruta Pujari is one bout away from gold in the 72 kg, and two more wrestlers are alive through repechage. This comes a day after India's first-ever Greco-Roman silver at the U23 level, making it the country's most eventful U23 wrestling campaign outside Novi Sad.
Key Takeaways
Komal won a bronze medal in the women's 59 kg category at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas on 16 October 2026 , defeating Viktoriia Khusainova of Kazakhstan 7-2 .
Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final by pinning Wenjin Qiu ; she faces Ukraine's Iryna Zablotska for gold on Saturday .
Sweety (53 kg) and Vaishnavi Patil (65 kg) remain in contention for bronze through the repechage route.
India was unable to field wrestlers in nine weight categories after athletes were denied visas for being under-20 and holding no full-time jobs.
Vishvajit Ramchandra More won India's first-ever U23 Worlds Greco-Roman silver on Thursday , losing the 55 kg final 12-13 to Georgia's Koba Karumidze .
India's best U23 Worlds tally remains nine medals from the Novi Sad edition.
Indian wrestler Komal put India on the medal board at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas on Friday, 16 October, claiming a bronze medal in the women's 59 kg category. Her triumph was complemented by Amruta Pujari advancing to the 72 kg final, setting up a gold medal shot for India on Saturday.
Komal's Bronze Medal Bout
Komal defeated Viktoriia Khusainova of Kazakhstan by a dominant 7-2 scoreline to secure the bronze. Her campaign had started on a strong note — she first beat Ella Marie Finding of Canada, then outclassed Madalina Prisacari of Moldova 8-3. A stumble came when she lost 1-13 to Alina Filipovych of Ukraine in the quarterfinal. However, Komal rebounded through the repechage route and delivered in the medal bout to ensure India's first wrestling medal of the tournament.
Amruta Pujari Eyes Gold
Amruta Pujari secured her spot in the women's 72 kg final by pinning Wenjin Qiu in the semifinal. She will face Ukraine's Iryna Zablotska in the gold medal bout on Saturday — a contest that gives India a strong shot at topping the podium in the weight class.
Sweety and Vaishnavi Still in Contention
Two other Indian wrestlers remain alive for medals through the repechage route. Sweety (53 kg) lost her quarterfinal 2-11 to Cristelle Rodriguez Dobler, who has since progressed to the final — a result that reopens the repechage path for Sweety. She is set to take on Xiaotong Zeng of China in a bout that could earn her a place in the bronze medal contest. Vaishnavi Patil (65 kg), meanwhile, faces Japan's Haruka Kobaru in the repechage after losing her quarterfinal to Russia's Ekaterina Koshkina by technical superiority.
Visa Issues Hit India's Participation
India's presence at the championships was noticeably curtailed due to visa denials. The country could not field wrestlers in the women's 50 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg categories, and in the Greco-Roman style's 60 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg divisions — reportedly because the athletes were under-20 and did not hold full-time employment, according to officials.
India's Broader Campaign at U23 Worlds 2026
This bronze adds to the historic silver claimed by Vishvajit Ramchandra More on Thursday — India's first-ever silver medal in the Greco-Roman category at the U23 World Championships. More, a two-time U23 world bronze medallist, narrowly lost the men's 55 kg Greco-Roman final 12-13 to Georgia's Koba Karumidze in the closing seconds. India's best previous U23 Worlds campaign came at Novi Sad, Serbia, where they collected nine medals — one gold, one silver, and seven bronze.
Point of View
But they also underscore how much higher the tally could have been with a full contingent. The recurring pattern of Indian wrestlers missing international competitions due to administrative and documentation hurdles points to a systemic problem that no amount of on-mat talent can compensate for indefinitely.
NationPress
16 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Komal win her bronze medal at the U23 Wrestling World Championships?
Komal won her bronze medal in the 59 kg category by defeating Viktoriia Khusainova of Kazakhstan 7-2 in the bronze medal bout on 16 October in Las Vegas. She had earlier beaten wrestlers from Canada and Moldova before losing to Ukraine's Alina Filipovych, and then recovered through the repechage route.
Who will Amruta Pujari face in the U23 Worlds 72 kg final?
Amruta Pujari will face Ukraine's Iryna Zablotska in the women's 72 kg gold medal bout on Saturday. She reached the final by pinning China's Wenjin Qiu in the semifinal.
Why was India unable to field wrestlers in several categories at the U23 Worlds?
India could not field wrestlers in nine weight categories — including women's 50 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg, and multiple Greco-Roman divisions — because those athletes were reportedly denied visas for being under-20 and not holding full-time jobs.
Which Indian wrestlers are still in contention for medals at the U23 Worlds?
Sweety (53 kg) and Vaishnavi Patil (65 kg) remain alive for bronze medals through the repechage route, having lost their respective quarterfinals to opponents who advanced to the final. Amruta Pujari is competing for gold in the 72 kg category on Saturday.
What is India's best-ever performance at the U23 Wrestling World Championships?
India's best U23 World Championships tally came at the Novi Sad, Serbia edition, where they won nine medals — one gold, one silver, and seven bronze. At the current Las Vegas edition, India has already secured a historic first Greco-Roman silver through Vishvajit Ramchandra More, plus Komal's bronze in the women's 59 kg.
