Young Indian wrestlers aim to make their mark at World Wrestling C'ships

A 12-member Indian contingent will compete in the World Wrestling Championships, set to take place in Tirana, Albania from October 28 to 31.

This year's World Championships will feature only 12 weight classes across three disciplines, accommodating all the non-Olympic categories as the wrestlers from other categories competed at the Paris Olympics 2024.

India has sent a relatively less experienced and young squad to the event. But, the youngsters will be hopeful of putting up an impressive show as they have done in the last five editions of the World Championships.

Last year, with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) suspended, India competed under the flag of United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body of the sport. Antim Panghal (53kg) was the only Indian wrestler to win a medal at the event.

Medal chances

India's one of the biggest medal hopes in the forthcoming Worlds will be Udit in the men's 61kg freestyle category. He is the former U20 Asian champion and one of the most promising wrestlers from India.

He has been in fine form. Earlier this year, he won a silver medal at the Asian Championships. However, he will face a tough challenge at the World Championships as former Olympic Champion, Zavur Uguev, will be among the favourites for the gold medal.

The 27-year-old Manisha Bhanwla (65kg) is the most experienced wrestler in the Indian contingent. She has won multiple international medals including two Ranking Series titles and a bronze medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year.

This will be her second consecutive appearance at the World Championships. Besides her, the multiple Ranking Series medallist Bipasha (72kg) will be one of the wrestlers to watch out for.

The Indian contingent for World Wrestling Championships 2024:

Men's Freestyle: Udit (61kg), Manish Goswami (70kg), Parvinder Singh (79kg), Sandeep Singh Maan (92kg)

Women's Freestyle: Kirti (55kg), Mansi Ahlawat (59kg), Manisha Bhanwala (65kg), Bipasha (72kg)

Men's Greco-Roman: Sanjeev (55kg), Chetan (63kg), Ankit Gulia (72kg), Rohit Dahiya (82kg)

Schedule (All Timings are in Indian Standard Time)

October 28

2:00 PM - Preliminary round Greco-Roman

9:30 PM - Semifinal Round - Greco-Roman

October 29

2:00 PM - Preliminary Round - Women's Freestyle

8:30 PM - Semifinal Round - Women's Freestyle

9:30 PM - Medal Matches - Greco-Roman

October 30

2:00 PM - Preliminary Round - Men's Freestyle

8:30 PM - Semifinal round - Men's Freestyle

9:30 PM - Medal Matches - Women's Freestyle

October 31

8:30 PM - Repechage Round - Men's Freestyle

9:30 PM - Medal Matches - Men's Freestyle

Streaming info

There is no official broadcaster for this event in India, but the live streaming of all the matches will be available on the UWW app and their website, UWW+.