By Adarsh Chauhan
New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI): Indian wrestlers Neelam Sirohi and Tanu Sharma expressed pleasure and happiness over their medal-winning performances on the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships, as they obtained a grand welcome at Delhi Airport on Sunday.
Neelam clinched a silver medal within the girls’s 50kg class, whereas Tanu secured bronze within the girls’s 72kg class, contributing to India’s four-medal haul on the championships up to now.
Speaking to ANI, Neelam mentioned she was delighted to win silver for the nation on the senior World Championships, however felt she might have carried out higher within the last regardless of a minor shoulder harm. She expressed willpower to enhance her efficiency in future competitions.
“I am so happy that I could win the silver medal for the country in the senior World Championship. I can’t even put it into words. I had a slight shoulder injury in my final fight. I could have done better, but I couldn’t. I will do even better in the future,” she mentioned.
Neelam confronted Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki, a former Olympic champion and defending world champion, within the gold-medal bout however misplaced 5-0 by fall.
Neelam started her marketing campaign with a 6-0 victory over Belarus’ Natallia Varakina. She then superior to the semi-finals after prime seed Elizaveta Smirnova of Russia withdrew from their quarter-final attributable to harm. Neelam defeated Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova 7-3 within the semi-finals to guide her place within the title conflict.
Speaking about her subsequent goal, Neelam mentioned she would give attention to the Olympic qualifiers.
“Next target is the Olympic qualifiers and after that the rest,” she mentioned.
Asked about all 4 of India’s medals on the championships coming from girls wrestlers up to now, she mentioned the achievement shouldn’t be considered as a distinction between female and male athletes. She expressed confidence that Indian male wrestlers would additionally win medals in future competitions.
“It’s nothing like that. Us girls fell short on medals at the Asian Games, and the girls didn’t win many then. In the future, the boys will win medals too.”
At the 2026 Asian Games, India received six wrestling medals, of which just one was secured by a lady wrestler.
Tanu, in the meantime, received bronze within the girls’s 72kg class after defeating reigning Pan American champion Precious Bell of the United States 9-5 within the medal bout.
Reflecting on her achievement, Tanu mentioned the medal was an emotional second and that she felt proud to have received it for the nation.
“I can’t really put it into words; I’m just so emotional. Like, this medal isn’t just mine; I won it for the whole country. It’s a really big deal for me, and my feelings right after winning were just overwhelming,” she advised ANI.
Recalling her bronze-medal bout in opposition to Bell, Tanu mentioned she initially took a 3-0 lead however briefly shifted to a defensive strategy, permitting her opponent to attain two factors. She then returned to an attacking strategy and maintained her result in seal the 9-5 victory.
“At first I was ahead of her with a 3-0 lead. But then I dropped into defence mode, and she got two points. Then I attacked again and switched to aggressive mode, and I kept taking the lead and defeated her,” she mentioned.
Indian girls’s contingent completed the 2026 World Wrestling Championships with 4 medals. Manisha Bhanwala received gold within the 59kg class, whereas Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi secured silver medals. Tanu Sharma added a bronze within the 72kg class. (ANI)