PM Modi hails India's wrestling stars "outstanding performance" in U23 Asian Championships
New Delhi, May 28
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated India's wrestlers for a historic performance at the 2026 U23 Asian Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam.
He praised the Men's Freestyle and Women's Wrestling teams for winning the team titles and delivering India's best-ever overall medal haul at the event.
The Indian men's freestyle wrestling team was crowned the undisputed champions at the U23 Asian Wrestling Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam, 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.
PM Modi also lauded the athletes for their outstanding success and extended his best wishes for their future competitions.
"An outstanding performance by our wrestlers! Our Men's Freestyle and Women's Wrestling teams won the Team Titles at the 2026 U23 Asian Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam. The Men's Freestyle Wrestling team secured 9 medals, including 4 Golds, thus registering India's highest-ever overall medal haul at the U23 Asian Championships history. The women's wrestling contingent won 10 medals, including 6 Golds. The Greco-Roman team also recorded its highest-ever overall medal count with 8 medals. Congratulations to our wrestlers. My best wishes for the endeavours ahead," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
This historic freestyle victory capped off a sensational continental campaign for the entire Indian contingent, 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.
The championship-winning freestyle squad wrapped up their campaign with nine medals, including four gold, three silver, and two bronze. Akshay T Dhere (57kg) and Vicky (97kg) set the tone with brilliant gold medals, and the momentum was carried forward by Kumar Mohit (65kg) and Chandermohan (79kg), who also stood atop the podium.
Deepak Rathi (61kg), Punit Kumar (92kg), and Lacky (125kg) contributed to the historic team title with hard-fought silver medals, while Deepak Berwal (74kg) and Mor Sachin (82kg) rounded out the freestyle tally with crucial bronze medal finishes.
— ANI
Reader Comments
So happy to see our women's team winning 6 golds! The ladies are really shining in Indian wrestling. Hope this leads to better infrastructure and support for our athletes at the grassroots level.
Great to see India dominating in wrestling! Beating traditional powerhouses like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan is impressive. The future of Indian wrestling looks bright with talents like Akshay and Vicky leading the charge.
While this is fantastic news, I hope the government doesn't just celebrate but also invests in proper training facilities and coaching. Our wrestlers have immense potential but often lack resources compared to other countries. Kudos to the athletes for making us proud despite the challenges! 👏
This is what happens when you focus on sports development! India is slowly but surely becoming a powerhouse in Asian wrestling. The 27 medal haul speaks volumes about the hard work of these young athletes. Well done!
Incredible achievement! Especially proud of the Greco-Roman team recording their highest-ever medal count. Wrestling is such an integral part of Indian culture, and seeing our youth excel on the international stage is truly heartwarming. 🙏
This is wonderful! But I wish the media gave more coverage to wrestling and other sports rather than just
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.