Indian wrestler Amruta Pujari won the silver medal in the women’s 72kg category at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, United States, on Saturday.
She finished second after losing the gold-medal bout against Ukraine’s Iryna Zablotska, taking India’s total medal count at the tournament to three.
Amruta faced a tough challenge in the final and went down 0-6 against Zablotska. Despite missing out on gold, the Indian wrestler delivered a strong performance in the earlier rounds to reach the title clash.
Her silver added to India’s growing medal tally at the championships, with Komal winning bronze in the women’s 59kg category and Vishvajit More claiming silver in the men’s Greco-Roman 55kg event.
Amruta Pujari reaches final after strong run
Amruta showed her strength in the earlier rounds, registering two consecutive victories by fall. She secured her place in the final after pinning China’s Wenjin Qiu in the semifinal.
The win set up a gold-medal clash against Zablotska. However, the Ukrainian wrestler proved difficult to handle in the final. Amruta trailed 0-6 before Zablotska sealed the contest with a decisive pin, leaving the Indian to settle for silver.
The result gave Amruta a podium finish at the international tournament and made her one of India’s medal winners in Las Vegas.
Komal wins bronze in women’s 59kg category
Komal had earlier opened India’s medal account in women’s wrestling by winning bronze in the 59kg category. She defeated Kazakhstan’s Viktoriia Khusainova 7-2 in the bronze-medal bout.
Komal had also beaten Moldova’s Madalina Prisacari 8-3 during her campaign. She reached the semifinal but lost to Ukraine’s Alina Filipovych, which sent her into the bronze-medal contest.
Komal then made the most of her opportunity to finish on the podium and secure another medal for India.
Vishvajit more creates history in Greco-Roman Wrestling
India’s other medal came through Vishvajit More, who won silver in the Greco-Roman 55kg category. His achievement was historic, as he became the first Indian wrestler to win silver in Greco-Roman wrestling at the U23 World Championships.
More narrowly missed out on gold after losing 12-13 to Georgia’s Koba Karumidze in the final. The close result underlined how near he came to winning the title.
With Amruta’s silver, India’s medal tally at the U23 World Wrestling Championships rose to three. The performances of Amruta, Komal and More provided India with podium finishes across women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman competition.