Kajal Dhochak Makes History! First Indian Heavyweight Wrestler To Win World Championships Medal

Indian wrestlers Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi signed off from the World Wrestling Championships 2026 with silver medals on Wednesday, marking a historic first for the country in women's wrestling.

For the first time, two Indian women reached the finals at the same edition of the senior World Championships. While both fell short of gold, their performances marked a significant milestone for the Indian contingent.

Competing in the women's 76kg final, 18-year-old Kajal faced Ukraine's Anastasiya Alpyeyeva in her first senior World Championships appearance.

The two-time U20 world champion pushed her opponent in a closely fought contest but eventually went down 6-8, settling for silver and becoming the first Indian heavyweight wrestler to win a medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships.

Neelam took on Japan's Yui Susaki in the women's 50kg title bout. The 26-year-old struggled against the four-time world champion and was defeated by fall after trailing 0-5, finishing the tournament with a silver medal.

Their achievements build on Anshu Malik's breakthrough in 2021, when she became the first Indian woman to reach a senior World Championships final and went on to win silver in the 57kg category.

Both finalists had produced impressive performances to reach the gold-medal bouts. Kajal staged a remarkable comeback in the semifinals, overturning a 1-7 deficit to beat Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7. Neelam secured her place in the final with a 7-3 victory over Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova.

India's campaign also saw Rajnita bow out of the women's 65kg category in the repechage round. She lost 2-6 to Japan's Nana Ikehata, ending her hopes of reaching the bronze-medal bout.

Women's wrestling at the championships will conclude on Thursday, with the remaining two weight categories, 55kg and 59kg, scheduled to feature their final bouts.