Indian wrestling continued its upward surge on the global stage as the nation’s U17 contingent produced a memorable campaign at the 2025 U17 World Wrestling Championships in Athens.
Across a week of gripping competition, India collected nine medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) and finished third overall in the medals tally. The headline story was written by the women’s freestyle team, which successfully defended its world title with 151 points, finishing ahead of the United States and Japan. This dual success team supremacy in women’s freestyle and individual golds in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman signaled both how far India has come and what still remains to be achieved in the broader wrestling landscape.
Women’s Wrestling: A Standard of Excellence
If one had to identify the engine behind India’s success in Athens, it was undoubtedly the women’s freestyle squad. After clinching their maiden team title in 2024, there were questions about whether India could sustain the momentum. The answer was emphatic. With two golds, three silvers, and a bronze, the women’s contingent not only retained the top spot but did so in commanding fashion.
At the lightest weight, Rachana (43kg) set the tone with her composed 3-0 victory over China’s Xin Huang in the final. In the middle weights, Ashvini Vishnoi (65kg) was equally impressive, outclassing Uzbekistan’s Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova 3-0 to bring home another gold. Together, these two titles cemented India’s lead in the standings. The silver medals underlined the squad’s depth. Moni (57kg) fell just short in a nail-biting 6-5 loss to Kazakhstan’s Madkhiya Usmanova.
Yashita (61kg) could not handle the attacking flurry of USA’s Taina Fernandez, going down by technical fall (11-0), while Kajal (73kg) last year’s world champion had to settle for silver after an 8-5 defeat to China’s Wenjin Qiu. The medal count was rounded off by Komal Verma (49kg), who fought through the repechage to beat Anhelina Burkina 8-3 for bronze. Other wrestlers such as Manisha (69kg, 5th place) and Preeti Yadav (40kg, 7th place) added valuable points.
This performance, spread across nearly every weight class, showed that India is no longer reliant on one or two stars. Instead, there is a pipeline of talent capable of delivering medals across categories. Athletes like Kajal, who has now medaled in consecutive U17 Worlds, illustrate how Indian wrestlers are beginning to build consistency at the international level — a critical ingredient for long-term Olympic success.
Men’s Freestyle: Sparks of Brilliance Amid Gaps
While the women dominated, India’s men’s freestyle wrestlers produced a mixed bag. The team ended 8th overall with 59 points, significantly behind the traditional heavyweights United States (154), Iran (150), and Russia (127). Yet, within the disappointment were flashes of brilliance that highlighted India’s potential. The standout was Sitender (60kg). In a weight class stacked with talent, he produced one of the best runs of the tournament, defeating Japan’s Rihito Hiura 9-4 in the final. Sitender’s speed and mat control reflected the technical maturity required at this level, raising hopes that he could transition smoothly to the junior and senior circuits.
At the other end of the spectrum, heavyweight Lacky (110kg) delivered a silver. His narrow 6-4 defeat in the final to UWW’s Magomedrasul Omarov was preceded by a 10-0 quarterfinal demolition, showing he has both the power and tactical acumen to compete with the best. Elsewhere, Gourav Punia (65kg), an Asian U17 champion, narrowly missed out on a bronze, losing to Iran’s Morteza Haj Mollamohammadi on criteria after an 8-8 deadlock. Jaiveer Singh (55kg) fought hard but finished 9th after a 3-0 loss to USA’s Greyton Burnett.
These results painted a clear picture: India has elite-level individuals but lacks depth across the board in men’s freestyle. With points accumulated from top-10 finishes, two medals were not enough to lift the team higher in the standings. The challenge, then, is to develop a broader pool of wrestlers who can consistently score points across weight classes, rather than relying on isolated brilliance.
Greco-Roman: A Historic Gold but Shallow Base
Greco-Roman wrestling has never been India’s strongest suit, but Athens provided a breakthrough. Hardeep (110kg) clinched a historic gold with a criteria win (3-3) against Iran’s Yazdan Reza Delrouz. It was a landmark moment, not just for Hardeep but for Indian wrestling, proving that world-class results are possible even in disciplines traditionally dominated by other nations.
Supporting him were Aditya Gupta (55kg) and Anuj (65kg), both of whom finished 5th after losing bronze medal bouts. Aditya Dileep Jadhav (48kg) finished 9th. Despite these commendable efforts, India did not feature in the top 10 team standings for Greco-Roman, highlighting how thin the bench strength remains. Hardeep’s triumph, however, could be a turning point. It showed that with targeted investment in coaching and exposure, India can build competitiveness in this underdeveloped discipline. The question is whether the wrestling federation will treat this as an isolated victory or a spark to expand Greco-Roman programs.
A Three-Front Picture of Indian Wrestling
Taken together, India’s Athens campaign painted a three-dimensional picture of the sport’s trajectory:
- Women’s Freestyle is not just India’s strongest front but now arguably among the best in the world at the youth level.
- Men’s Freestyle is producing talented champions but lacks the depth to challenge consistently for top team honors.
- Greco-Roman has finally shown signs of breakthrough with Hardeep’s gold but remains in need of systemic development.
This tripartite outcome also raises strategic questions. Should India continue to invest equally across all three styles, or should resources be prioritized where the returns are already high namely women’s freestyle? Or perhaps, with long-term Olympic success in mind, a more balanced approach is necessary, ensuring that no discipline is left lagging behind.
Lessons and Roadmap
The Athens results highlighted several key lessons for Indian wrestling:
- Strength in Women’s Wrestling: The back-to-back world team titles confirm that the grassroots system for female wrestlers is working effectively. A steady flow of medal contenders across weight classes indicates that India is building a sustainable model.
- Need for Depth in Men’s Freestyle: Individual brilliance is not enough to win team championships. To move higher in the standings, India must develop athletes capable of consistent top-10 finishes in every category.
- Potential in Greco-Roman: Hardeep’s gold showed the possibilities. But turning isolated success into a programmatic strength will require structural changes — from specialized coaches to more domestic competitions in this style.
- Converting Narrow Losses: Several Indian wrestlers lost close bouts that could have swung the medal tally. This points to the need for greater emphasis on match strategy, mental toughness, and situational training to handle high-pressure moments.
India’s nine-medal haul and third-place overall finish at the 2025 U17 World Wrestling Championships was a landmark result, particularly with the women’s freestyle team consolidating its reputation as a global powerhouse. With four world champions across three disciplines, India showed its ability to produce not just individual stars but also a winning system in at least one style of wrestling. Yet, the road ahead requires careful planning. To translate youth dominance into senior-level glory especially at the World Championships and the Olympics India must broaden its base in men’s freestyle, nurture Greco-Roman with renewed seriousness, and continue strengthening the women’s program that has already become the envy of many nations.
Athens, then, was more than just another tournament. It was a mirror reflecting both India’s rise and its unfinished tasks, a moment of celebration and self-reflection. If these U17 champions are guided well, they could very well form the backbone of India’s Olympic wrestling squads in Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.
