Ranking Series wrestling event: Sumit, Anil return with silver & bronze

Rising grappler Sumit clinched a silver medal to lead India’s strong finish at the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial, the 4th Ranking Series, with the Greco-Roman wrestlers bouncing back after a sluggish start to secure one silver and one bronze on the final

Sumit, the reigning U23 Asian Champion, impressed in the 60 kg category with dominant wins en route to the final. He beat Sadyk Lalaev (9-3), Korea’s Dahyun Kim by fall (7-4), and Kazakh Galym Kabdunassarov by technical superiority (10-1) in the semifinal.

Advertisement

In the gold medal bout, he put up a gritty fight against European and World Champion Nihat Zahid Mammadli of Azerbaijan, eventually settling for silver in a 5-1 defeat.

Meanwhile, Anil Mor added to India’s tally with a bronze in the 55 kg category. After losing his opening bout to Emin Sefershaev (6-1), Mor made the most of his repechage chance, blanking Moldova’s Atrium Deleanu 7-0 before overcoming Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Botirov 7-4 for bronze.

The strong finish capped a mixed campaign for the Greco-Roman contingent, while the Indian women’s team had earlier topped the medal tally, outshining powerhouses the USA and Hungary.