Bulgaria, July 4 (IANS) Sohail Khan from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, will represent India at the Kudo World Cup 2025 in Bulgaria and is set to face Pakistan’s Abdullah in the Round of 16 on Saturday.

This marks an important match for the Indian fighter, who is aiming for a strong run in the global championship. The Kudo World Cup 2025 matches are scheduled to take place on July 5 and 6.

Sohail enters the tournament as the 12th seed in the M-250 category, based on the official world rankings released by the Kudo International Federation (KIF). His consistent performances at both national and international levels helped him earn this position. Most recently, he won a bronze medal at the Kudo Eurasian Cup 2024, which gave him crucial ranking points.

A well-recognised name in the Indian Kudo circuit, Sohail has had an impressive journey. He was the gold medalist at the Junior Kudo World Cup 2017 and has won four gold medals at the Akshay Kumar International Kudo Tournament. In 2023, he made it to the quarter-finals of the Senior Kudo World Championship.

Most recently, Sohail clinched his 22nd consecutive national-level gold medal at the 3rd Kudo National Championship 2025-26, held in Pune from May 16 to 22. Representing Madhya Pradesh, Sohail remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and defeated Vabhan Chaturvedi of Rajasthan 6-0 in the final.

Spearheading his preparation has been an elite support team that includes Dr Mohammad Aijaz Khan (head coach), Harikant Tiwari (conditioning coach) and Deepak Tiwari (strengthening coach). Sohail also receives invaluable mentorship from Hanshi Mehul Vora, India’s national coach.

The Kudo World Cup 2025 will be live-streamed on KumiteTechnology’s YouTube channel.

–IANS

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