Burgas (Bulgaria), July 8 (IANS) India’s Sohail Khan scripted history at the Kudo World Cup 2025 by securing a silver medal in the Men’s -250 P category, registering the nation’s best-ever finish in the senior men’s division at the global event. The prestigious tournament was held in Burgas, Bulgaria and featured participation from top Kudo athletes from around the world.

Hailing from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sohail, also known as the “Golden Boy of MP,” performed exceptionally well to earn his place on the podium.

Sohail began his campaign in the Round of 16 against Pakistan’s Abdulla, but advanced via walkover after the opponent failed to meet the weight requirement. In the quarterfinal, Sohail battled hard to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Bulgaria’s Rusev Radoslav.

In the semifinal, Sohail delivered one of his most dominant performances of the tournament, defeating Andzej Voinius of Lithuania by a commanding 4-0 margin. With this win, he secured his spot in the final and guaranteed India at least a silver medal, a first for the country in this category.

In the gold medal bout, Sohail faced a tough challenge against France’s Quentin Miramont. The contest was intense and evenly matched, with neither fighter managing to score a definitive point in the standard two rounds.

As a result, the referee decided to extend the bout to a rare third round, the first time in the entire World Cup that any fight had gone that far. Despite Sohail’s spirited and resilient performance, he eventually fell short by just two points, settling for silver in a historic finale.

Sohail’s success is also a reflection of the strong support system behind him. He is coached by Mohammad Aijaz Khan, with Harikant Tiwari serving as his conditioning coach, Deepak Tiwari as his strength and nutrition coach, and Bhabajeet Choudhary as his striking coach.

This silver medal is the latest addition to Sohail’s decorated career. A former Junior World Cup gold medallist (2017) and a four-time gold medallist in the Akshay Kumar International Kudo Tournament, Sohail had finished as a quarterfinalist at the 2023 Senior World Championship.

He entered the 2025 World Cup as the 12th seed following his bronze at the Eurasian Cup earlier this year, and has now exceeded expectations by becoming India’s top senior performer at the global level.

–IANS

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