India’s campaign at the World Wrestling Championships 2025 in Zagreb has been difficult so far, with two days of the competition producing no medals. On Day 3 though, India’s hopes were revived by Sujeet Kumar in the 65 kg category and Vijay Suneja in the 79 kg category.
Sujeet faced a tough opening-round opponent in Iran’s Olympic silver medallist Rahman Amouzad. In a closely contested match, Sujeet fought hard but lost narrowly to the Iranian star. With Amouzad reaching the final, however, Sujeet earned a repechage entry, keeping him in the hunt for a bronze medal.
In the 79 kg division, Vijay Suneja also lost his opening bout but was pulled back into the competition through repechage after his opponent progressed to the final.
Medal Hopes for India at World Wrestling Championship
The advancement of both Sujeet and Vijay to the repechage rounds ensures that India remains in contention for medals in men’s freestyle wrestling. They will now need to win their repechage bouts to qualify for the bronze medal matches.
Earlier on Day 2 of the championship, India saw Mukul Dahiya finishing fifth in the men’s freestyle 61 kg category after losing the bronze medal bout 1-9 to Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov.
Dahiya had shown promise by winning his repechage match but fell short in the medal contest. In the 86 kg category, Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia suffered a first-round defeat and was knocked out of contention after his opponent failed to reach the final.
With all other Indian wrestlers out of contention, the focus will be firmly on Sujeet and Vijay on Day 4 as they attempt to convert their second chance into podium finishes. Their performances will be crucial for India, who are still looking to open its medal tally in Zagreb after a disappointing first two days.
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Edited by Sooryanarayanan Sesha
