Wrestling: Nikita Sehrawat clinches 57kg silver; Kamna and Garima bag bronze in U17 World C’ships

Baku (Azerbaijan), July 30 (IANS) India’s women wrestlers delivered strong podium finishes at the 2026 U17 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing home a silver and two bronze medals in highly competitive weight categories.

Leading the charge in the 57kg division, Nikita Sehrawat put together a brilliant campaign to reach the championship final. Facing a formidable opponent in the reigning U17 World silver medallist Epenesa Elison of the USA, Nikita fought valiantly but ultimately sustained a 0-6 defeat. She finished second on the podium, securing a well-deserved silver medal for India.

In the 49kg category, Kamna Babal showcased excellent resilience to claim the bronze medal. Following a semifinal setback against Japan’s Saika Uchida, Kamna bounced back in the third-place play-off against Russia’s Irina Tsydeeva. In a tense and closely fought bout, the Indian grappler edged out her opponent with a 3-2 victory to secure her spot on the podium.

Adding to the nation’s tally, Garima delivered a dominant performance in the 73kg bronze medal match. After a narrow 5-7 loss to USA’s Kaili Manuel in the semifinals, the former U15 Asian Champion regrouped effectively. She completely outclassed Spain’s Paula Benaixa Perez, registering a flawless 10-0 victory by technical superiority (VSU) to win the bronze.

Earlier, in the 60kg Greco-Roman category at the U17 World Championships in Baku, India’s Darpan Raju Chaudhari kept his campaign alive by securing a hard-fought 5-3 victory (VPO1) over Greece’s Pavlos Tsentidis in the repechage round.

Consolidated results:

57kg: Nikita Sehrawat (India) vs. Epenesa Elison (USA); 0-6

49kg: Kamna Babal (India) vs. Irina Tsydeeva (Russia); 3-2

73kg: Garima (India) vs. Paula Benaixa Perez (Spain); 10-0, VSU.

–IANS

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