Rohtak, July 14 (IANS) Haryana clinched all three team titles at the 2026 U-23 National Wrestling Championships, finishing atop the men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling standings. The hosts accumulated 200 points to win the Men’s Freestyle title, followed it up with 195 points in Greco-Roman and sealed the clean sweep by topping the Women’s Wrestling standings with 183 points at the end of the three-day competition.

The Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) finished runners-up in both men’s disciplines, with 138 points in freestyle and 165 in Greco-Roman, while Maharashtra claimed second place in the women’s competition with 160 points. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan completed the podium in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling, respectively.

Applauding the standard of competition, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Kumar Singh said the championships highlighted the country’s growing talent pool.

“The exceptional standard of competition witnessed here highlights the incredible depth in our U23 ranks. Haryana’s clean sweep across all three styles underscores their robust training pipeline, while institutions like Services and various state teams continue to push the benchmarks higher. The federation is fully committed to providing these top performers with elite international exposure as they transition to the senior level.”

Haryana’s title-winning campaign featured several standout performances across all three styles. In Men’s Freestyle, Paras claimed gold in the 79kg category, while Yash (74kg), Himanshu Antil (86kg) and Rohit (125kg) added podium finishes. SSCB’s Narender (74kg) and Sahil Dalal (86kg), along with Punjab’s Jaspooran Singh (125kg), were the other gold medallists in the featured weight divisions.

The hosts were equally dominant in Greco-Roman, where Nikhil (55kg), Vinit Dahiya (72kg), Tushar (77kg) and Piyush Kumar secured gold medals. Piyush enjoyed a memorable campaign by winning both the 97kg and 130kg titles. SSCB collected golds through Khundongbam (60kg), Sagar Singh (67kg) and Deepak Punia (82kg), while Maharashtra’s Vinay Vitthal Pujari emerged champion in the 87kg division.

Haryana’s women also delivered a commanding performance, with Kirti (53kg), Jyoti (55kg), Reena (57kg) and Simran (59kg) winning gold medals. Madhya Pradesh’s Priyanshi Prajapat (50kg), SSCB’s Anjali (62kg), Chandigarh’s Khushi Rani (65kg), Rajasthan’s Ashwini Vishnoi (68kg), and Maharashtra duo Amruta (72kg) and Vedika (76kg) also emerged champions in their respective categories.

Beyond the medals, the championships carried significant selection implications. Winners from the U-23 National Wrestling Championships are expected to be in contention for the upcoming U-23 World Wrestling Championships, while standout wrestlers in the 18-20 age group could also earn opportunities to compete at the U-20 World Championships, subject to the outcome of the forthcoming selection trials.

–IANS

vi/bc