Daijiworld Media Network - Slovakia
Slovakia, Aug 21: Indian women’s wrestling sensation Kajal Dhochak continued her remarkable rise on the global stage, clinching gold in the 76kg category to lead India’s medal charge at the 2026 U20 Wrestling World Championships in Slovakia.
Alongside Kajal’s historic triumph, India secured two silver medals through Tanu Sharma and Savita on an action-packed day of women’s wrestling.
Eighteen-year-old Kajal produced a dominant performance in the 76kg championship bout, defeating China’s Jingru Sun 7-0 on points (VPO) to claim the world title.
The victory further strengthens her credentials as one of India’s brightest young wrestling prospects. Kajal has now added the 2026 U20 world title to her 2024 U17 World Championship gold in the 69kg category and 2025 U20 World Championship gold in the 72kg category.
Kajal moved up to 76kg this year after winning the 72kg title in 2025. With Thursday’s victory, she became only the second Indian wrestler to win the U20 world title twice.
The former U17 world champion completed a stunning campaign without conceding a single point. Her 7-0 victory over Sun in the final also repeated the result of their opening-round meeting at the U20 Asian Championships, where Kajal had prevailed.
The gold was Kajal’s fifth successive title of 2026. She began the year with seventh-place finishes at the Tirana Ranking Series and Asian Championships before winning gold at the U23 Asian Championships, Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series, U20 Asian Championships, Budapest Ranking Series and now the U20 World Championships.
Kajal opened her campaign against Japan’s Miyu Takayama, whom she pinned, before defeating Türkiye’s Elmira Yasin 14-0 in the semifinals. She then beat USA’s Piper Fowler 6-0.
In the final, Kajal immediately put Sun under pressure. She opened the scoring with a stepout to take a 1-0 lead before executing a double-leg attack for a two-point takedown and a 3-0 advantage at the break.
Sun was cautioned for open hands in the second period, adding another point to Kajal’s tally. As the Chinese wrestler tired, Kajal continued to control the bout, forcing another stepout before securing a takedown to extend the lead to 7-0 and seal the victory.
In the 72kg category, Tanu Sharma put up a determined fight against Japan’s Chisato Yoshida in the gold medal bout. However, she narrowly lost 3-5 on points (VPO1), earning a silver medal for India.
In the 62kg division, Savita also settled for silver after losing to Japan’s Sakura Onishi in the final. Savita was defeated 2-12 by technical superiority (VSU1) after an otherwise impressive tournament campaign.
With the U20 World Championships entering their final stages, India remain in contention for more podium finishes.
Indian wrestlers will next compete in the remaining women’s wrestling events in the 57kg, 59kg and 68kg categories, besides the men’s freestyle 61kg and 86kg divisions.