India’s men’s freestyle wrestlers performed poorly at the World Championships, with none of them qualifying for the Paris Olympics or winning a medal. This was a disappointment, as some of the wrestlers lost to rivals from nations that are not known for their wrestling prowess. This raised suspicions that the Indian wrestlers may not have been fit enough before the competition. Sachin Mor (79kg) lost his repechage round by technical superiority to North Macedonia’s Ahmad Magomedov, while Anuj Kumar (65kg) could not even clear the Qualification round, losing 7-8 to Mexico’s Austin Klee Gomez.
Mexico and North Macedonia are not considered to be top wrestling nations, so it was surprising that the Indian wrestlers lost to them at the World Championships. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) suggested to the Sports Ministry that the wrestlers should have undergone medical examinations before the competition, as they believe that some of them may have been carrying injuries.
India’s biggest hope Aman Sehrawat (57kg) had lost to reigning world champion Albania’s Zelimkhan Abakarov in the quarterfinals but with the Russia-born wrestler failing to reach the final, the repechage door was shut on the Indian. In the 70kg bronze play-off, Abhimanyu lost by technical superiority to Armenia’s Arman Andreasyan.
