Indian women bag 10 medals, including 2 gold at U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026
New Delhi, May 31
India's women wrestlers delivered a flawless performance at the U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 in Da Nang, Vietnam, securing a 100% podium finish with an impressive haul of 10 medals: 2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze, according to a press release.
Leading the charge were Diksha (43kg) and Garima (73kg), who clinched gold medals with dominant victories in their respective finals, underlining India's growing strength at the youth level.
India added three silver medals through Nikita (49kg), Antra (65kg) and Taniya (69kg). Taniya finished runner-up after a hard-fought final against Khadisha Flyuk, while Nikita and Antra also settled for silver following their respective title bouts.
The bronze medal tally featured Palak (40kg), Anamika (46kg), Akshra (53kg), Sakshi (57kg) and Manya (61kg), all of whom secured podium finishes with strong performances. Palak defeated Aruuke Nurbekovna Nurbekova, Anamika overcame Inzhu Bakkozha,
Akshra beat Ema Arakawa, Sakshi got the better of Shiying Wang, and Manya defeated Aigerim Polatbay in their respective bronze medal bouts.
The clean sweep of podium finishes highlights India's depth and consistency in women's wrestling at the age-group level, reinforcing its status as a dominant force in Asian wrestling.
Earlier, the Indian men's freestyle wrestling team was crowned the undisputed champions at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships, lifting the Team Championship Trophy with a spectacular first-place finish.
India dominated the freestyle standings to claim the top spot ahead of powerhouse nations Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, who finished second and third, respectively.
This historic freestyle victory capped off a sensational continental campaign for the entire Indian contingent at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships, which amassed a staggering total of 27 medals, comprising eleven gold, seven silver, and nine bronze, across the Freestyle, Women's Wrestling, and Greco-Roman categories.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is what happens when you invest in grassroots sports! So proud of our girls. The U17 level success shows our coaching and infrastructure is improving. Now let's make sure these champions get proper support to transition to senior level. 👏👏
Honestly, I'm more excited about this than the men's U23 title. Women's wrestling in India has come such a long way from Sakshi Malik's bronze in Rio. Every single girl on this podium deserves a standing ovation. Hope the sports ministry takes notice and gives them proper scholarships.
Incredible performance! But I hope we don't get complacent. The real test will be at the World Championships. Still, this is a huge morale booster. And big shoutout to the coaches and support staff working behind the scenes – you don't see their names in headlines but their contribution is immense. 🙏
I'm just a simple wrestling fan from Haryana, and seeing these young girls do so well makes me emotional. My own daughter started wrestling last year. This is the kind of inspiration she needs! Congratulations to all medalists and their families. The future is definitely female! 💪
Great job girls! But I wish the media would give equal coverage to these age-group achievements instead of only focusing on senior wins or cricketers. These 13-16 year old girls are training so hard, sacrificing their childhood for the nation. They deserve more recognition and we as citizens should appreciate them more.
<
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.