Four Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers lose opening round at U-23 World Championship

India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers could not win even a single bout on the opening day of the Under-23 World Championship as all four in action suffered defeats in the opening round in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Monday.

Gaurav (63kg), Ankit (77kg), Rohit Bura (87kg), and Joginder Rathee (130kg) represented India’s challenge and lost their respective bouts in an abject manner.

Gaurav was up against Kyrgyzstan’s Kuttubek A Abdurazakov and lost his 1/8 round bout by technical superiority.

Ankit suffered a similar fate against Serbia’s Zalan Pek.

Rohit fell 0-9 in his qualification round against America’s Payton J Jacobson, while Joginder lost his qualification bout by fall against Uzbekistan’s Damirkhon Rakhmatov.

Their progress will now depend on the results of their vanquishers.

On Tuesday, competition will be held for the 55kg, 67kg, 72kg, and 97kg categories.

Published on Oct 20, 2025