Indian wrestlers Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak reach World Championships final

Two Indian women wrestlers reached the Wrestling World Championships final on Tuesday in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Semi-Final Win

Twenty-six-year-old Neelam Sirohi won her 50kg semifinal 7-3 against Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova, who is an Asian Games bronze medallist. Neelam earlier beat Belarus opponent Natallia Varakina 6-0 in the pre-quarterfinal. She moved directly to the last four after top seed Elizaveta Smirnova of Russia pulled out of the quarterfinal due to an injury. Teammate Kajal Dhochak also made it to the 76kg final, with both Indian wrestlers entering the title round within a fifteen-minute window.

Coach Strategy

National team coach Virender Dahiya said the team prepared well before leaving India. Dahiya, who trains Neelam at his Najafgarh akhada, noted that Neelam is a former national champion. They planned a strategy against their next opponent, Japanese legend Yui Susaki, who is aiming for a fifth world title and has lost only once in her career against Vinesh Phogat at the Paris Olympics. The tactic is to survive the full six minutes against Susaki and try to score in the closing seconds, similar to how Vinesh won previously. Neelam also worked hard on her ground defence and counter-attacks after losing a trial match lead to Dipanshi Phogat ahead of the Asian Games.

Context

Before this event, Indian women wrestlers had only reached the World Championships final once back in 2021 through Anshu Malik in the 57kg category. This year's success marks a major milestone for the sport in the country as multiple athletes compete for the gold medal on the international stage.