India Shines at 4th Ranking Series “Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial” Wrestling Tournament in Budapest, Hungary

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: The Indian wrestling contingent has made a strong impression on the opening days of the 4th Ranking Series “Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial” Wrestling Tournament, currently underway in Budapest (Hungary). With participation from top European nations, the competition has been intense, but Indian wrestlers have shown remarkable grit and skill to clinch key medals in both men’s and women’s events.

Sujeet Wins Gold in Men’s Freestyle 65 Kg. Category: India’s Sujeet delivered a stellar performance to clinch the Gold Medal in the Men’s 65 Kg. Free Style category.

In the preliminary round, Sujeet outclassed Albania’s Islam Dudaev with a technical superiority (11-0) victory. He continued his dominance in the quarterfinal, defeating France’s Khamzat in just 2:43 minutes, again by technical superiority.

In the semifinal, Sujeet beat Armenia’s Vazgen Tevanyan with a commanding 6-1 scoreline. In the final, facing a formidable Azerbaijani opponent, Ali Rahimzade, hailing from a nation known for its Olympic and World Championship pedigree, Sujeet showed exceptional composure and skill to secure a 5-1 win, earning India’s first Gold Medal of the tournament.

Sujeet is also the reigning Under-23 Asian Champion, having won gold in the recently concluded U23 Asian Wrestling Championship held in Vietnam.

Rahul 57 Kg. Free Style: Rahul (57 Kg. Freestyle) contributed another medal to India’s tally with a hard-fought Bronze Medal. After receiving a bye, Rahul defeated South Korea’s Sunggwon Kim 5-3 in the quarterfinal. In a close semifinal bout, he narrowly lost to the USA’s representative 6-7. He bounced back strongly in the bronze medal match, defeating Germany’s Niklas Stechele with a 4-0 win.

Team Performance in Men’s Freestyle: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) fielded wrestlers in six weight categories: 57, 61, 65, 74, 79, and 97 Kg.

Udit (61 Kg.) sustained an injury during his quarterfinal bout against a Kyrgyz wrestler and lost 0-5, ruling him out of repechage rounds.

Jaideep (74 Kg.), Chander Mohan (79 Kg.), and Vicky (97 Kg.) reached the quarterfinals but could not proceed to medal bouts. Vicky entered the repechage round but lost his bout.

Women Wrestlers Continue to Shine

Despite fielding only eight wrestlers, the Indian Women’s Wrestling team showcased outstanding performances and added several medals to India’s tally.

Gold Medal – Harshita (72 Kg.): Harshita remained unbeaten throughout the competition and clinched the Gold Medal after defeating Kazakhstan’s Zhamila Bakbergenova by technical superiority 10-0 final.

Gold Medal – Antim (53 Kg.): In the quarterfinal, Antim defeated Turkey’s wrestler by technical superiority (10-0 in 3:55 min). She continued her strong run by beating USA’s Felicity K. Taylor in the semifinal (10-0 in 5:50 min). In the final, she overpowered Natalia Malysheva (UWW) by 7-4, sealing her Gold Medal. In fact, Antim has defeated Natalia 2 times in 3rd Ranking Series, Mongolia both in technical superiority without giving any point.

Silver Medal – Neha (57 Kg.): Neha, an emerging talent, defeated Kazakhstan’s Nilufar Raimova (7-2) in the quarterfinal and Hungary’s Roza Szenttamasi (8-4) in the semifinal. In the final, she faced Olympic Champion Helen Louise Maroulis (USA) and, despite a valiant effort, settled for a Silver Medal after a 4-0 loss.

Bronze Medal – Neelam (53 Kg.): Neelam bounced back after her quarterfinal loss. She beat UWW’s Nadezhda Sokolova (18-7) and then defeated Kseniya Stankevich 6-3 in the bronze medal bout.

Priyanshi Prajapat (53 Kg.) also reached the bronze medal round but unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury.

Bouts in 55 Kg. (Pushpa) 62 Kg. (Manisha) and 76 Kg. (Priya) weight categories will be held today.

The Indian contingent has made a powerful start at the Budapest Ranking Series, with multiple medals in both men’s and women’s events, further cementing India’s rising status in the international wrestling circuit. The Wrestling Federation of India commends the athletes for their exceptional performance and looks forward to more victories as the tournament progresses.

WFI extended heartfelt congratulations to the entire coaching staff, support personnel, and athletes. Special thanks were conveyed to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Sports Authority of India for their continue supports, and also acknowledge the Embassy of Hungary, New Delhi for expeditious visa facilitation.