India Wins Five Medals at U20 World Wrestling Championships 2025 in Bulgaria

India has secured five medals so far at the U20 World Wrestling Championships 2025, including a historic gold from Asian U20 champion Tapasya Gahlawat in the women’s 57kg category. The tournament is being held in Samokov, Bulgaria, from August 17 to 24.

Sumit Malik earned India’s first medal of the competition with a silver in the men’s 57kg freestyle division. Gahlawat followed by winning gold in her weight class, giving India its first top-podium finish of the meet.

India’s medal tally currently stands at one gold and four silvers. Along with Malik and Gahlawat, Srishti (women’s 68kg), Reena (women’s 55kg) and Priya Malik (women’s 76kg) also claimed silver medals.

The championships feature medal events across three disciplines — men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle — with 10 weight categories in each. More than 650 wrestlers are competing, including 233 in freestyle, 231 in Greco-Roman and 186 in women’s freestyle.

Each weight class is contested over two days, with qualification rounds and semifinals on the first day, followed by repechage and medal matches on the next.

For India, several wrestlers entered the competition with strong credentials. Neha Sangwan, a 2024 bronze medallist in the 57kg, moved up to 59kg after winning silver at the Budapest Ranking Series and gold at the Mongolia Open. Priya Malik, the 2023 U20 world champion and two-time U17 gold medallist, competed in the women’s 76kg.

In Greco-Roman, Suraj, a former U17 world champion, made his U20 debut. Anil Mor arrived with a gold from the Mongolia Open and a bronze from the Budapest Ranking Series.

At last year’s championships in Spain, India won seven medals, including one gold, one silver and five bronze. Jyoti Berwal earned the lone gold in the women’s 76kg.