India at World Wrestling Championships 2022

India at World Wrestling Championships 2022 - A recap

This was the first time I had watched the World Wrestling Championships end to end and my interest was obviously in the Indian wrestling team which had a stupendous time in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham. Now I am no wrestling expert, but I thought that the Indian team underperformed. If you look at the medals tally we ended up with the same number of medals as the 2021 edition where we had one silver and one bronze compared to the current edition where we managed to secure two bronze medals. But both of these tallies are behind the 2019 edition where we won five medals (1 silver and four bronze). Since 2018, at least one of the Indian wrestlers has been making it to the finals at these championships but that run was halted in 2022 which makes this edition the worst since 2017 where the team had won no medals at all.

The Disappointments

None of the winners from 2021 could build upon their success in this edition with last time's silver medalist Anshu Malik pulling out due to elbow surgery and bronze medalist Sarita Mor suffering a disappointing 0-7 loss to Anhelina Lysak from Poland
There was further heartbreak when Ravi Kumar Dahiya was knocked out by Gulomjon Abdullaev via technical superiority
There were points conceded at the very last moment which cost Pankaj (61 kg), Sanjeet (86 kg), Vicky (92 kg) and Viky (97 kg) their progress
Opponents from Japan, USA and Iran frequently found a way through their Indian counterparts through throws and leg attacks

The Medalists

Vinesh Phogat managed a bronze medal but she didn't look good in her opening match against Mongolia's Khulan Batkhuyag
Bajrang Punia was sensational in the bronze medal match but the head injury he suffered in the opening round might have cost him a crack at the gold just as the knee injury limited his chances at the 2020 Olympics

The Best Match

The best match in my opinion was the bronze medal bout between Bajrang and Puerto Rico's Sebastian Rivera. Rivera started with a leg attack and opened up a lead of 6 points before Bajrang evened it out with a four point throw and a takedown of his own. At the fag end of the first half, Rivera executed another takedown and led 8-6. The second half was a tactical affair with Rivera intent on not letting Bajrang score. But Bajrang kept up the pressure to score two takedowns and go up by 10-9. At the final bell, Rivera executed a throw which wasn't given and he promptly challenged it. The replay showed that the throw took place after the clock had winded down resulting in Bajrang's victory and a second medal for India on the final day of the championships.

Bajrang Punia at World Wrestling Championships 2022 <Courtesy: UWW>

Bajrang Punia during his repechage round <Courtesy: UWW>

Bajrang bronze medal bout world wrestling championships 2022 <Courtesy: UWW>

The Future

18 year old Sagar Jaglan and Nisha Dahiya who won three matches each to reach the bronze medal round deserve tremendous appreciation. Nisha in particular bossed all her opponents (results below) until the semifinal where she agonizingly fell short in a close match. The bronze medal was even more distressing where she lost by a fall after opening up a four point lead. I just hope these two along with Naveen Malik (who also deserves honorable mention for earning a shot at a medal) keep the flag flying for India in the coming years

Nisha Dahiya (68kg)

Qualifying: Beat Danute Domikaityte (LTU) 11-0

Round of 16: Beat Adela Hanzlickova (CZE) 13-8

Quarter-final: Beat Sofiya Georgieva (BUL) 11-0

Semi-final: Lost 5-4 to Ami Ishii (JPN)

Bronze medal bout: Lost by fall to Linda Morais (CAN)

Sagar Jaglan (74kg)

Round of 32: Beat Mitchell Louis Finesilver (ISR) 15-4

Round of 16: Beat Diego Antonio Sandoval Zarco (MEX) 13-2

Quarter-final: Lost 5-0 to Kyle Dake (USA)

Repechage: Beat Suldkhuu Olonbayar (MGL) 7-3

Bronze medal bout: Lost 6-0 to Yones Aliakbar Emamichoghaei (IRI)

Naveen Malik (70kg)

Qualifying: Lost 6-1 to Taishi Narikuni (JPN)

Repechage first round: Beat Syrbaz Talgat (KAZ) 11-3

Repechage second round: Walkover from Ilyas Bekbulatov (UZB)

Bronze medal bout: Lost 4-1 to Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ)

So those were my thoughts friends about the World Wrestling Championships. What were yours? Do leave a comment.

Until Next Time,

Your Wrestling Superfan,

Chaitanya J.J.

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