Indian women’s wrestling scaled a new peak in Novi Sad, Serbia, as the Indian Women’s Wrestling Team clinched the Team Title at the 2025 U23 World Wrestling Championships a result that cements India’s place among the world’s wrestling powerhouses.
The team collected 121 points (as per Indian Wrestling Federation tally) and finished ahead of Japan (117 pts) a nation featuring Olympic champion Akari Fujinami and multiple-time World medallist Sakura Motoki.
This was no ordinary victory. India became only the fifth Indian team ever across all age groups to win a World Championship team title, joining the elite list that includes:
- 2021 U17 Men’s Freestyle
- 2023 U20 Women’s Wrestling
- 2024 U17 Women’s Wrestling
- 2025 U17 Women’s Wrestling
- 2025 U23 Women’s Wrestling
Credit SportsArena
Consistency Over Gold: The Formula Behind a Title
What made this title so remarkable was that India won without a single gold medal. The team’s consistency, depth, and resilience across weight classes delivered 2 silver and 5 bronze medals, amounting to 121 points — just enough to edge past Japan’s 117.
The Indian approach was clear: build strength across all ten weight categories. While Japan relied on a few dominant champions, India’s strategy of multiple podium finishes created the decisive margin.
This win also validated years of systemic rebuilding at the grassroots and developmental levels an approach focused on technical depth, scientific training, and match management rather than individual brilliance alone.
The Silver Medalists: Hansika and Sarika Rise to the Occasion
Two names stood out on the final day Hansika Lamba (53kg) and Sarika (59kg) who both reached the finals before falling to experienced Japanese opponents.
Hansika Lamba’s run to the 53kg final was flawless until the gold medal bout. She conceded just two points across her first four matches, winning 11-0 in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In the final, she faced Haruna Morikawa (Japan) a technically superior grappler who used sharp counterattacks to prevail 4-0. Despite the loss, Hansika’s dominance throughout the draw confirmed her as one of India’s brightest future prospects.
In the 59kg category, Sarika produced one of India’s most entertaining campaigns. She overcame American and Norwegian opponents with 4-2 and 5-2 wins before outclassing Poland’s Olha Padoshyk 12-6 in a high-scoring semifinal. Facing Japan’s Ruka Natami, a former U23 silver medallist, Sarika went down 1-3 in a tight final decided by an activity clock point and a boundary push-out.
The Bronze Foundation: Five Wrestlers Deliver Under Pressure
If Hansika and Sarika set the tone, India’s five bronze medallists formed the backbone of the title triumph.
- Nishu (55kg) defeated reigning World Champion Moe Kiyooka (Japan) early in the draw one of the tournament’s biggest upsets and clinched bronze, contributing a crucial 15 points.
- Neha Sharma (57kg) continued her remarkable consistency, winning her third straight U23 Worlds medal.
- Pulkit (65kg) and Srishti (68kg) showcased maturity in pressure moments, closing out their bronze bouts 8-4 and 6-1 respectively areas where Indian wrestlers had often faltered in the past.
- Priya Malik (76kg), a former U20 World Champion, earned India’s first medal in Novi Sad and demonstrated smooth adaptation to the higher age category.
Together, these results represented seven medals across ten weight categories, a statistic that reflected India’s unparalleled bench strength at the U23 level.
For decades, Japan has been the global benchmark in women’s wrestling defined by relentless technique and unmatched composure. But in Novi Sad, India’s superior consistency tilted the scales. Japan’s performance was headlined by champions like Akari Fujinami (57kg), yet the Indians repeatedly broke Japanese dominance in crucial rounds. Nishu’s victory over Kiyooka and the finals appearances by Hansika and Sarika symbolized a new phase one where India’s wrestlers are no longer overawed by Japan’s reputation.
The victory also exposed an important strategic contrast: Japan thrives on golds, but India’s collective reliability across categories earned the ultimate team triumph.
This historic success is no coincidence. It’s the outcome of a carefully built system from U17 to U20 and now U23 that has created a seamless developmental pipeline for Indian wrestlers. In 2023, India’s U20 women won the world team title. In 2024 and again in 2025, the U17 women’s squads repeated that feat. Now, the U23 crown confirms that India’s wrestling structure is not just producing talent it is sustaining excellence across age levels.
National women’s coach Virender Dahiya has been central to this transformation. His emphasis on scientific weight management and match-end composure has addressed long-standing weaknesses. Wrestlers now compete closer to their natural weight, preserving stamina and reducing last-minute fatigue a factor evident in India’s ability to win five bronze bouts on Day 6.
While this victory validates India’s system, the next challenge is clear translating U23 dominance into senior-level podiums. The “junior-to-senior gap” remains a known hurdle, where many talented wrestlers struggle to adapt to the pace, strength, and mental demands of senior competition.
The Mission Olympic Cell is expected to fast-track all seven Novi Sad medallists Hansika, Sarika, Nishu, Neha, Pulkit, Srishti, and Priya Malik into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Immediate international exposure, including training stints with top-10 senior wrestlers, will be crucial in preparing them for Los Angeles 2028.
The U23 World Team Title in Serbia represents a watershed moment the clearest evidence yet that Indian women’s wrestling has evolved from producing isolated stars to sustaining a production line of world-class athletes. Winning a global title without a gold medal, against Japan’s Olympic-laden lineup, highlights India’s depth, discipline, and durability. It’s not just about one great wrestler anymore; it’s about an entire system capable of staying at the top.
If this generation bridges the final transition to the senior level, India’s women’s wrestling could be on the verge of a golden era one that redefines the global balance of power heading into Los Angeles 2028.
