Former U-23 Asian Championships bronze medalist Lalit is set to compete for the gold medal in the men’s 55kg Greco-Roman category at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Lalit secured an 11-3 victory over China’s Huoying Shi in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Indian wrestlers Aman (77kg Greco Roman) and former champion Sunil Kumar (87kg Greco Roman) faced defeats in their respective semifinal matches on the tournament’s opening day.
Lalit, who recently won bronze at the Muhamet Malo Wrestling meet, will now face 2025 Asian Championships bronze medalist Ikhtiyor Botirov of Uzbekistan in the final. In another semifinal, Aman lost to Zagreb Open gold medalist Ali Oskou of Iran with a score of 13-3. Aman will now compete for the bronze medal against Yeonghun Noh of South Korea. Sunil Kumar, the 2020 Asian champion, suffered an 0-8 defeat in the 87kg Greco-Roman semifinal against Gholamreza Farokhisenjani of Iran.
In the 65kg Greco-Roman category, Sunny Kumar was eliminated after losing in the qualification round to Saifulla Kurman of Kazakhstan. Similarly, Joginder Rathee exited the men’s 130kg Greco-Roman category after a loss in the quarterfinals against South Korea’s Minseok Kim, who later lost in the semifinals. This loss ended India’s chance for a repechage round.
On the upcoming day, five more Indian wrestlers – Sahil (60kg GR), Sachin Sahrawat (67kg GR), Anil (72kg GR), Prince (82kg GR), and Nitesh (97kg GR) – are scheduled to compete.
