India enjoyed a strong start to the Under-15 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, with Darpan Raju Chaudhari winning gold as the country’s Greco-Roman wrestlers secured five medals on the opening day of competition.
Competing in the 62kg category, Darpan delivered a dominant performance in the final, defeating Tajikistan’s Amridin Qurbonov 5-0 to claim India’s only gold medal of the day.
Gourav Gundaji Patil, Yash and Jatin won silver medals, adding 3 medals to the tally. In the 75kg final, Gourav missed the title after losing to Tajikistan’s Bakhovaddin Alovaddinzoda on criteria following a 1-1 draw.
Yash settled for silver in the 48kg category after going down 0-8 to Kazakhstan’s Rollan Kim. Jatin claimed silver in the 85kg division after another 0-8 loss against Kazakhstan’s Yerali Muratov.
Paryas Dhounchak secured bronze in the 57kg category with an 8-0 victory over Turkmenistan’s Muhammad Ulugbekov, the 5th person to earn the podium spot.
Saurav (38kg), Rajveer Singh (44kg) and Tushar Khokar (52kg) narrowly missed out on podium finishes after losing their respective bronze-medal bouts, ending their campaigns in fifth place.
India’s impressive start reflects the country’s strength in youth wrestling. Young grapplers look to build on the momentum in the remaining events of the continental championship.
