NewKerala.com

India's Wrestling Stars Shine at Zagreb Open with Seven Medals

India's medal count rose to seven at the Zagreb Open wrestling tournament following a four-medal haul on Thursday. Neelam Sirohi headlined the day with a silver medal in the women's 50kg freestyle category after a dominant run to the final. She was joined on the podium by bronze medalists Vicky Hooda (men's 97kg), Dinesh Dhankhar (men's 125kg), and Muskan (women's 50kg). The team's success builds on earlier gold and silver medals won by Sujeet Kalkal and Aman Sehrawat earlier in the competition.

Key Points: India Wins 7 Medals at Zagreb Open Wrestling 2026

  • Neelam Sirohi wins women's 50kg silver
  • Vicky Hooda, Dinesh Dhankhar, Muskan earn bronze
  • India's tally: 1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze
  • Sujeet Kalkal won gold on Wednesday
  • Antim Panghal to compete Saturday
2 min read

India's medal tally at Zagreb Open wrestling goes to seven

India's medal tally reaches 7 at Zagreb Open wrestling. Neelam Sirohi wins silver, Vicky Hooda, Dinesh Dhankhar, Muskan claim bronze.

"Sirohi had a brilliant run till the final - Olympics.com"

Zagreb, February 6

India continued their fine run in the Zagreb Open 2026 wrestling tournament as a silver medal from Neelam Sirohi in the women's 50 kg freestyle category headlined the India's four-medal-haul on Thursday.

Other medals for India on the day include, bronze medals from Vicky Hooda (men's 97kg), Dinesh Dhankhar (men's 125kg) and Muskan (women's 50kg). Currently, India's medal tally stands at seven, with a gold, two silver and four bronze medals, as per Olympics.com.

Sirohi had a brilliant run till the final, starting off with a 10-0 win over Poland's Agata Walerzak and then took down Azerbaijan's Elnura Mammadova in the quarterfinals and compatriot Muskan by a dominant 17-1 scoreline in the semifinals. In the gold medal bout, she registered a 5-2 loss to Japan's Haruna Morikawa, a U23 world champion.

Muskan rebounded after semis to beat Agata 11-0 to claim the bronze medal. In the men's 97 kg, Vicky made up for the quarterfinal loss to USA's Stephen Buchanan II by 14-7, taking him to the repechage bout where he took down Canada's Samuel Miklos Maria Pereira 12-1. He overcame a challenge from Frenchman Adlan Vishkhanov 8-2 to get a podium spot.

Deepak Chahal also competed in the men's 97 kg but could not make it past the qualification stage.

On the other hand, Dinesh Dhankhar's 125kg bronze came via pinfall over Kamil Kosciolek, having lost 13-1 to Bahrain's Shamil Sharipov in the quarter-finals, he made a marvellous comeback in the repechage round with a 12-2 win over USA's Demetrius Thomas

On Wednesday, U23 world champion Sujeet Kalkal captured the 65kg weight division gold while Paris 2024 bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat bagged a silver in the men's 61kg category.

Olympian and two-time World Wrestling Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal will be in action on Saturday and aim to continue her fine run.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Seven medals already! Sujeet Kalkal winning gold as a U23 world champion shows our bench strength. Can't wait to see Antim Panghal in action on Saturday. Hoping for more gold!
R
Rohit P
Dinesh Dhankhar's comeback via pinfall was the highlight for me. Losing 13-1 and then coming back strong shows real mental toughness. These performances give so much hope for the next Olympics.
S
Sarah B
While the medal haul is impressive, I wish we had more golds. Losing to Japan in the final shows we still have work to do at the very top level. The depth is there, now need to convert more silvers to gold.
V
Vikram M
Great to see both men and women contributing to the tally. Vicky Hooda's journey through repechage was a masterclass in resilience. Wrestling is truly becoming one of India's strongest sports.
K
Kavya N
So proud of our athletes! 🥳 The fact that we're competing and winning against powerhouses like USA, Japan, and Azerbaijan speaks volumes. Hope this momentum continues through the tournament.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50