Wrestling
Four Indian Greco-Roman Wrestlers crash out in opening round at the U23 World Championships
India endured a tough start at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Novi Sad as all four Greco-Roman wrestlers lost their opening-round bouts.
WFI Suspends 11 Wrestlers for Fake Birth Certificates (Representative image)
India’s campaign in the Greco-Roman category began on a disappointing note at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2025 in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Monday, as all four Indian wrestlers in action were eliminated in their opening-round bouts.
The Indian lineup of Gaurav (63kg), Ankit (77kg), Rohit Bura (87kg), and Joginder Rathee (130kg) failed to make it past the qualification or round-of-16 stages, suffering one-sided defeats against their respective opponents.
Gaurav faced Kyrgyzstan’s Kuttubek A Abdurazakov in the 63kg 1/8 round but went down by technical superiority. In the 77kg division, Ankit was outclassed by Serbia’s Zalan Pek, while Rohit Bura suffered a 0-9 loss in the 87kg qualification round against USA’s Payton J Jacobson.
In the heavyweight 130kg category, Joginder Rathee was defeated by fall against Uzbekistan’s Damirkhon Rakhmatov.
With these early exits, the wrestlers’ hopes of re-entering the competition through repechage now depend on how far their conquerors advance in the tournament.
Upcoming weight categories
The action continues on Tuesday with Indian representation in the 55kg, 67kg, 72kg, and 97kg Greco-Roman weight divisions. The Indian contingent will look to bounce back after a winless opening day and register their first victories at the 2025 edition.
