India’s Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak Take World Silver

Neelam Sirohi’s final ended in a pin, while Kajal Dhochak’s ended with an 8-6 score. Both Indian wrestlers left the mat with silver medals at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana on Wednesday, after losing to Japan’s Yui Susaki and Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. For 26-year-old Neelam, the medal makes her only the second Indian woman to win senior Worlds silver. ^1,2

Neelam faced Susaki in the women’s 50kg final. The Japanese wrestler pinned her shortly before the opening period ended, completing a run without conceding a point and claiming her fifth world title. Neelam had reached the final by beating Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova 7-3 in the semifinal. Later, 18-year-old Kajal led Alpyeyeva 4-4 on the tiebreak with about 30 seconds left, but the Ukrainian scored a turn and exposed Kajal’s back to take an 8-4 lead. Kajal’s late takedown could not close the gap. ^1,3

Those two silver medals mark a first for India: two women reached the finals at the same senior World Championships. Before this edition, Anshu Malik was the only Indian woman to reach a senior Worlds final, winning silver in the 57kg class in 2021. Neelam and Kajal’s results also mean India has two women’s silver medallists at the event, though neither won the country’s first women’s world title. The finals brought together seasoned champion Susaki and teenage newcomer Kajal, who had won two under-20 world titles. ^2,3

Anshu Malik’s 2021 result is now joined by Neelam’s silver, while Kajal’s run adds another milestone for Indian women’s wrestling. Both title bouts are complete, so the contest is over: India’s two finalists finished second instead of bringing home a gold medal. The championship took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, and both wrestlers’ silver medals are the final results of their campaigns. ^1,3