Kajal Dochak, Neelam Sirohi settle for silver at World Championships

Hyderabad: Indian wrestlers Kajal Dochak and Neelam Sirohi concluded their campaigns at the World Championships on Wednesday with silver medals after losing their respective final bouts.

In the 76kg title clash, 18-year-old Kajal faced Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Making her senior World Championships debut after securing two U20 world titles, Kajal put up a fierce fight but lost the closely contested bout 6-8 to finish with a silver medal.

In the 50kg final, 26-year-old Neelam faced a formidable challenge against Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki. She lost by fall after trailing 0-5.

The podium finishes marked a milestone for Indian wrestling, as it was the first time two Indian women competed in the finals at the same edition of the World Championships. Their medals add to the breakthrough achieved by Anshu Malik, who became the first Indian woman to reach a World Championships final in 2021.

Kajal had earlier shown tremendous resilience on her way to the final, notably recovering from a 1-7 deficit to defeat Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7 in the semifinals.

Neelam similarly displayed composure throughout the tournament, securing her place in the final with a 7-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova.

Elsewhere, Rajnita’s campaign in the 65kg category ended in the repechage round. She lost 2-6 to Japan’s Nana Ikehata, missing out on a place in the bronze medal match.