Haryana Sweeps Team Titles at U-23 National Wrestling Championship

Rakesh Thapliyal 

ROHTAK: Powerhouse Haryana established undisputed supremacy on home turf, clean-sweeping the overall team championships across all three formats, Men’s Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Women’s Wrestling, at the 2026 U-23 National Wrestling Championship, which concluded at MDU Rohtak. The three-day elite domestic event saw fierce national competition among the country’s finest young wrestlers.

The host state dominated the tournament standings, comprehensively topping the Men’s Freestyle division with 200 points, the Greco-Roman category with 195 points, and the Women’s Wrestling field with 183 points. Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) put up a strong challenge to finish as runners-up in both Men’s Freestyle (138 points) and Greco-Roman (165 points), while Maharashtra claimed the second spot on the podium in the women’s team standings with 160 points.

Lauding the performance of the young athletes, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Kumar Singh said, “The exceptional standard of competition witnessed here highlights the incredible depth in our U23 ranks. Haryana’s clean sweep across all three styles underscores their robust training pipeline, while institutions like Services and various state teams continue to push the benchmarks higher. The federation is fully committed to providing these top performers with elite international exposure as they transition to the senior level.”

In the Men’s Freestyle category, Haryana and SSCB athletes shared the major honors alongside strong performances from Punjab. In the 74 kg weight category, Narender of SSCB captured the gold medal after defeating Himachal Pradesh’s Naveen, while Rishab Jakhar of Punjab and Yash of Haryana completed the podium with bronze medals.

The 79 kg title went to Haryana’s Paras, who overcame a tough challenge from SSCB’s Yash, while Priyanshu of Delhi and Vishal Kumar of Punjab locked in the bronze medals. Sahil Dalal asserted SSCB’s strength in the 86 kg class by capturing the gold medal over Haryana’s Himanshu Antil, with Sumit Thakur of Himachal Pradesh and Anuj Tomar of Uttar Pradesh securing the bronze medals.

In the heavyweight 125 kg division, Jaspooran Singh of Punjab wrestled his way to a gold medal finish against Uttar Pradesh’s Lakshay Kumar, while Rohit of Haryana and Rishabh Singh of Rajasthan signed off with the bronze medals.

The Greco-Roman discipline mirrored a similar battle for institutional dominance, with Haryana and SSCB leading the charge. Nikhil opened Haryana’s gold account in the 55 kg class by beating Uttar Pradesh’s Vishesh, leaving Aman of SSCB and Vanshdeep Singh of Punjab with bronze. In the 60 kg division, Khundongbam of SSCB secured the crown against Maharashtra’s Samarth Gajanan, while Vinay Tomar of Uttar Pradesh and Ashpreet Singh of Delhi took the bronze medals.

SSCB’s Sagar Singh won the 67 kg title over Mauli Sagar Tipugade of Maharashtra, with Yogesh of Delhi and Sonil Kumar of Haryana finishing third. Haryana found more gold through Vinit Dahiya at 72 kg, who beat Delhi’s Anuj Kumar, and Tushar at 77 kg, who bested Punjab’s Atul Lohan.

SSCB’s Deepak Punia captured the 82 kg gold over Delhi’s Vishesh Kumar, while Vinay Vitthal Pujari of Maharashtra claimed the 87 kg title ahead of SSCB’s Manav Sharma. Haryana closed out the Greco-Roman segment with a double-gold performance from Piyush Kumar, who dominated both the 97 kg and 130 kg categories by defeating Uttarakhand’s Umang in both finals, while Moksh Chaturvedi of Madhya Pradesh and Satya Narayan of Odisha secured bronze across both heavy weight classes.

In Women’s Wrestling, the competition saw a stellar display of technical superiority from the host state alongside Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh’s Priyanshi Prajapat broke through in a highly competitive 50 kg field to secure gold against Rajasthan’s Komal Verma, leaving Haryana’s Sneha and Maharashtra’s Neha Kiran with bronze.

Haryana then unleashed a wave of gold medals, starting with Kirti at 53 kg, who overcame Punjab’s Sonal, and Jyoti at 55 kg, who defeated Karnataka’s Shalini Sayer Siddhi. Reena continued the golden run for the hosts at 57 kg by defeating Tanvi Gundeshi Maldum of Maharashtra, while teammate Simran secured the 59 kg title over Himachal Pradesh’s Prerna Mehta.

SSCB celebrated gold in the 62 kg category as Anjali clinched the title over Haryana’s Janvi. Chandigarh’s Khushi Rani produced a clinical performance to capture the 65 kg gold against Haryana’s Tannu, while Ashwini Vishnoi brought honors to Rajasthan by winning the 68 kg crown over Punjab’s Rajni.

Maharashtra closed out the women’s event in style, sweeping the heaviest categories as Amruta captured the 72 kg gold over Haryana’s Manju, and Vedika sealed the 76 kg title by outclassing Himachal Pradesh’s Nancy Thakur.

The three-day tournament successfully concluded as a definitive showcase of India’s next generation of elite wrestling talent, establishing a highly competitive baseline for the upcoming international competitive cycle. Crucially, the players who won in the U23 National Wrestling Championships 2026 may get to participate in the upcoming U23 World Championships 2026, and additionally, standout performers from the 18–20 age group may also participate in the U20 World Championships 2026, subject to whoever wins the upcoming selection trials.

 

Men’s Freestyle

* Champions (1st Place): Haryana (200 Points)

* Runners-Up (2nd Place): Services Sports Control Board – SSCB (138 Points)

* Third Place: Punjab (124 Points)

Men’s Greco-Roman

* Champions (1st Place): Haryana (195 Points)

* Runners-Up (2nd Place): Services Sports Control Board – SSCB (165 Points)

* Third Place: Uttar Pradesh (124 Points)

 

Women’s Wrestling

 

* Champions (1st Place): Haryana (183 Points)

* Runners-Up (2nd Place): Maharashtra (160 Points)

* Third Place: Rajasthan (113 Points)

 

Individual Medal Winners

 

Women’s Wrestling

* 50 kg: Gold: Priyanshi Prajapat (MP) | Silver: Komal Verma (RAJ) | Bronze: Sneha (HAR) & Neha Kiran (MAH)

* 53 kg: Gold: Kirti (HAR) | Silver: Sonal (PUN) | Bronze: Doli (UP) & K. Geetha (TEL)

* 55 kg: Gold: Jyoti (HAR) | Silver: Shalini Sayer Siddhi (KTK) | Bronze: Swati (UP) & Isha (HP)

* 57 kg: Gold: Reena (HAR) | Silver: Tanvi Gundeshi Maldum (MAH) | Bronze: Muskan (PUN) & Nisha Saini (RAJ)

* 59 kg: Gold: Simran (HAR) | Silver: Prerna Mehta (HP) | Bronze: Liza Tomar (UP) & Tanu (PUN)

* 62 kg: Gold: Anjali (SSCB) | Silver: Janvi (HAR) | Bronze: Vaishnavi (MAH) & Prinsita (KTK)

* 65 kg: Gold: Khushi Rani (CHD) | Silver: Tannu (HAR) | Bronze: Vishakha (PUN) & Sonali Kondiba Mandlik (MAH)

* 68 kg: Gold: Ashwini Vishnoi (RAJ) | Silver: Rajni (PUN) | Bronze: Bhoomi Singh (UP) & Ashlesha Kalyan Bagade (MAH)

* 72 kg: Gold: Amruta (MAH) | Silver: Manju (HAR) | Bronze: Maya Mali (RAJ) & Deepika Nain (CHD)

* 76 kg: Gold: Vedika (MAH) | Silver: Nancy Thakur (HP) | Bronze: Fida Fathima P. (KER) & Itisha (UP)

 

Men’s Freestyle

* 74 kg: Gold: Narender (SSCB) | Silver: Naveen (HP) | Bronze: Rishab Jakhar (PUN) & Yash (HAR)

* 79 kg: Gold: Paras (HAR) | Silver: Yash (SSCB) | Bronze: Priyanshu (DEL) & Vishal Kumar (PUN)

* 86 kg: Gold: Sahil Dalal (SSCB) | Silver: Himanshu Antil (HAR) | Bronze: Sumit Thakur (HP) & Anuj Tomar (UP)

* 125 kg: Gold: Jaspooran Singh (PUN) | Silver: Lakshay Kumar (UP) | Bronze: Rohit (HAR) & Rishabh Singh (RAJ)

 

Men’s Greco-Roman

 

* 55 kg: Gold: Nikhil (HAR) | Silver: Vishesh (UP) | Bronze: Aman (SSCB) & Vanshdeep Singh (PUN)

* 60 kg: Gold: Khundongbam (SSCB) | Silver: Samarth Gajanan (MAH) | Bronze: Vinay Tomar (UP) & Ashpreet Singh (DEL)

* 67 kg: Gold: Sagar Singh (SSCB) | Silver: Mauli Sagar Tipugade (MAH) | Bronze: Yogesh (DEL) & Sonil Kumar (HAR)

* 72 kg: Gold: Vinit Dahiya (HAR) | Silver: Anuj Kumar (DEL) | Bronze: Satyam Khokhar (UP) & Rashinath Bilagi (SSCB)

* 77 kg: Gold: Tushar (HAR) | Silver: Atul Lohan (PUN) | Bronze: Badal Chauhan (UP) & Lakshit Soni (RAJ)

* 82 kg: Gold: Deepak Punia (SSCB) | Silver: Vishesh Kumar (DEL) | Bronze: Akhilesh (HAR) & Nilesh Mahindra (MAH)

* 87 kg: Gold: Vinay Vitthal Pujari (MAH) | Silver: Manav Sharma (SSCB) | Bronze: Anuj Kumar (HAR) & Sagar (UP)

* 97 kg: Gold: Piyush Kumar (HAR) | Silver: Umang (UKD) | Bronze: Moksh Chaturvedi (MP) & Satya Narayan (ODI)

* 130 kg: Gold: Piyush Kumar (HAR) | Silver: Umang (UKD) | Bronze: Moksh Chaturvedi (MP) & Satya Narayan (ODI).