Kajal clinches 72kg World U20 Wrestling Title as India bags multiple medals in Bulgaria

Kajal created history at the U20 World Wrestling Championships in Bulgaria on Thursday, winning the 72kg title with a thrilling 8-6 victory over senior Asian medalist Yuqi Liu of China. This marks her second world medal in a month, following a silver at the U17 Championships.

The 2024 Cadet World Champion and reigning U20 Asian Champion advanced to the final with commanding performances, beating Bulgaria’s Emili Mihaylova Apostolova 15-4 by technical superiority in the opening round and shutting out Kyrgyzstan’s Kaiyrkul Sharshebaeva 7-0 in the quarterfinals.

India added three more podium finishes on the day. Saarika secured bronze in the women’s 53kg category with a technical superiority win over Poland’s Ilona Valchuk, while Shruti earned bronze in the 50kg category, defeating Germany’s Josephine Wrench 6-0. In the men’s Greco-Roman 60kg, Suraj claimed bronze by overcoming France’s Lucas Go Grasso in the bronze medal match.

Yesterday, Indian wrestlers Reena and Priya Malik had won silver medals in their respective categories, contributing to a strong medal tally for the country at the 2025 U20 World Championships.