Mohit Kumar becomes the first Indian wrestler to win a junior World Championship since 2019 after edging past Russia's Eldar Akhmaduninov in the 61kg final. Mohit was trailing 0-6 in the final but the Russian, who is competing as an individual athlete, lost steam as the bout progressed and the Indian took full advantage to reel off nine straight points.
Mohit's mother who lives in Jhajjar, Haryana said that he has made every Indian very proud. "We are very happy. The entire country is happy. He started wrestling when he was in grades II-III", she said while talking to ANI.
Deepak Punia, who has now made a transition to the senior circuit, was the last Indian to win a world junior championship in 2019. Before that, Palwinder Cheema (2001) and Ramesh Kumar (2001) had grabbed the world junior title. So Amit is only the fourth Indian wrestler to win the coveted crown. Mohit got on board with a takedown move just before the end of the first period and after the break, it was one-way traffic.#WATCH | Jhajjar, Haryana: Wrestler Mohit Kumar's mother says, "We are very happy. The entire country is happy. He started wrestling when he was in grades II-III." https://t.co/81s5ESXwCX pic.twitter.com/tP0f8Nj3Nq
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2023
Wrestler Mohit Kumar becomes the U-20 World Champion in Men’s 61 Kg Freestyle weight category beating Eldar Akhmadudinov in the final by 9-8.
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023
Mohit quickly scored push-out points to unsettle his tiring rival, who even sought a medical timeout to catch his breath. Eldar's defense fell apart with Mohit staying aggressive. Jaideep won the 74kg bronze with a win over Kyrgyszstan's Zhakshylyk Ruslanovich Baitashov. The Indian men's freestyle team has so far won five medals.
Sagar Jaglan (79kg) won a silver, while Deepak Chahal (97kg) and Sagar (57kg) won bronze on Tuesday. On Thursday, Rajat Ruhal will be in contention to win a bronze in 125kg. He is up against Karanveer Singh Mahil from Canada.
Meanwhile, in the women's competition, Priya reached the 76kg final with a commanding technical superiority win over American Kennedy Alexis Blades in the semifinals. It was Blades, who started on an aggressive note but Priya began the scoring and did not look after her first move.
Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar becomes the Under 20 World Championship in men’s 61 Kg Freestyle category at Amman City in Jordan.Mohit defeats Russia's Eldar Akhmadudinov by 9-8 in the final to become the fourth Indian Freestyle Wrestler to win a Junior World Championship.… pic.twitter.com/t06ejI3rB1
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 17, 2023
On Thursday she will be up against Germany's Laura Celine Kuehen in the title clash. Last year, Antim Panghal had become the first Indian woman wrestler to become a world champion in the 53kg category. She will open her title defense against Poland's Nikola Monika Wisniewska in the pre-quarters.
Among other Indian women in the fray on Wednesday, only Arju could make the medal round as Priyanshi Prajapat (50kg), Jyoti (55kg) and Nitika (59kg) faded early. Arju lost her semifinal 3-6 to Elizaveta Petliakova and will fight for a bronze.
(With PTI inputs)
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