Indian women’s wrestling reached a scripted history high on Tuesday. Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi, the duo won their semifinals at the World Championships, giving India two women competing for gold at the same edition for the first time. Both finals place are medal-guaranteed, so India will leave Astana with at least two medals.
Kajal, 18, was making her senior World Championships debut. She sprinted from behind in the semifinal to book her spot. The two-time U20 world champion now competes Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, a two-time European champion, for the 76kg gold.
Neelam, 26, took to the final bout of the 50kgs. She beat Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova 7-3 in the semifinal. Bayanova was the home favourite. Neelam will face Japan’s Yui Susaki in the final. Susaki is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the sport, which makes the gold-medal bout a formidable test.
The result builds on a breakthrough from five years ago. Anshu Malik became the first Indian woman to reach a World Championships final in 2021, and she won silver. So far, she is the only Indian woman to reach the international level competition.
Wrestling Federation of India president Sanjay Singh called it a proud moment for the sport. He credited the wrestlers, their coaches and everyone supporting them, and praised Kajal’s comeback and Neelam’s preparation. India also has Rajnita still in contention for bronze.