Dinesh Dhankhar, Deepak clinch gold as India end Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 campaign with 16 medals
Ulaanbaatar, June 8
Indian wrestlers ended the Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 on a high note, with Dinesh Dhankhar and Deepak clinching gold medals in their respective men's freestyle events on Sunday, as India finished the four-day competition with a total of 16 medals, including eight golds, according to Olympics.com.
Dinesh capped off a dominant run by defeating Kazakhstan's U20 world champion Yedige Kassimbek 2-0 in a closely contested final to secure the top podium finish. Meanwhile, Deepak clinched the gold medal in the 61kg category after downing Kazakhstan's Assyl Aitakyn 6-0 in the final.
On his way to the title, Dinesh defeated Poland's World Championships bronze medallist Robert Baran 5-1 in the quarter-finals before registering an emphatic 11-0 technical superiority victory over Timur Kotaev in the semi-finals. The Indian wrestler had also enjoyed success earlier this season, securing a bronze medal at the Zagreb Open.
Deepak, on the other hand, began his campaign in strong fashion, registering a 6-0 win over Bair Baianduev in the quarter-finals before defeating Kazakhstan's Adilet Almukhamedov 7-1 in the semi-finals to advance to the final.
India also added two bronze medals on the final day of the Ulaanbaatar Open 2026.
In the men's 57kg category, Sumit bounced back from his quarter-final loss to defeat Kazakhstan's Abzal Okenov 6-3 in the bronze medal bout. He had earlier beaten the Republic of Korea's Sangboum Han by technical superiority before going down to Musa Mekhtikhanov in the quarter-finals.
Mohit Kumar also secured a bronze in the 65kg division, overcoming Kazakhstan's Ossimzhan Dastanbek 17-6 in the medal match. He had kept his medal hopes alive through repechage, where he defeated the USA's Christopher James Composto.
India finished the four-day competition with a total of 16 medals, including eight golds. In men's freestyle, Sagar Jaglan won the 74kg title, while in women's wrestling, Kajal Dhochak (76kg), Manisha Bhanwala (57kg), and Neha Sangwan (59kg) secured gold medals.
On the opening day in Mongolia, Greco-Roman wrestlers Sunil Kumar (87kg) and Nitesh Kumar (97kg) also clinched gold.
— ANI
Reader Comments
So proud of Kajal, Manisha, and Neha in women's wrestling! The women's team is really stepping up. But we need to ensure consistent support and training facilities for all wrestlers, not just the big stars. 🙏
Excellent results but this is just an Open tournament. The real test will be at Asian Championships and Worlds. Still, credit where due - 16 medals is no joke. Dinesh's win over Robert Baran is particularly impressive. Keep it up, boys and girls! 💪
Good to see Indian wrestling producing results across weight categories. But I'm worried about the lack of competition from top nations like Iran, Russia, and USA here. Still, our wrestlers can only beat who's in front of them. Well done, team! 🏅
Eight golds is fantastic! But I hope the federation is also focusing on grassroots development. We have talent but need proper coaching and infrastructure at the district level. Otherwise, we'll keep producing good results at Opens but struggle at Olympics. Just saying... 🤔
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