India delivered a commanding performance at the ongoing 4th Ranking Series Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Wrestling Tournament in Budapest, securing multiple medals across men’s and women’s freestyle events despite stiff global competition.
In a standout display, Sujeet clinched gold in the men’s freestyle 65kg category. The reigning U23 Asian champion dominated his bouts, defeating Albania’s Islam Dudaev 11-0, pinning France’s Khamzat in just 2 minutes and 43 seconds, and overcoming Armenia’s Vazgen Tevanyan 6-1. He capped off his dominant run with a 5-1 win over Azerbaijan’s Ali Rahimzade in the final.
Rahul (57kg) added a bronze to India’s tally, edging out South Korea’s Sunggwon Kim 5-3 in the quarterfinals. After a narrow 6-7 semifinal loss to the USA, he bounced back to beat Germany’s Niklas Stechele 4-0 in the bronze medal match.
Other Indian male wrestlers — Udit (61kg), Jaideep (74kg), Chander Mohan (79kg), and Vicky (97kg) — showed promise but fell short of podium finishes. Udit withdrew due to injury, while Vicky lost in the repechage round.
Despite being a limited contingent of just eight athletes, the women’s team delivered a strong showing.
Harshita (72kg) clinched gold with a commanding 10-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Zhamila Bakbergenova in the final, while rising star Antim (53kg) claimed another gold with victories over wrestlers from Turkey and the USA, before a 7-4 win against Natalia Malysheva in the final.
Neha (57kg) had an impressive run, defeating opponents from Kazakhstan and Hungary before settling for silver against Olympic champion Helen Maroulis (0-4).
Neelam (53kg) secured bronze via the repechage route, showing resilience after a tough quarterfinal loss. Meanwhile, Priyanshi Prajapat was forced to withdraw from her bronze medal bout due to injury.
India’s campaign continues late Saturday, with Pushpa (55kg), Manisha (62kg), and Priya (76kg) set to take the mat.