JORDAN, March 26: Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar secured a bronze medal in the 87kg Greco-Roman category at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday. Sunil defeated China’s Jiaxin Huang in the bronze medal match after falling short in the semifinals of the continental tournament.
This marks Sunil Kumar’s fifth senior medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships. The experienced grappler, who won silver in 2019, displayed his dominance earlier in the quarterfinal by defeating Tajikistan’s Sukhrob Abdulkhaev with a commanding 10-1 victory, scoring all his points in the second period of the match.
In the semifinal bout, Sunil faced Iran’s Yasin Yazdi, who advanced to the final with a narrow 3-1 victory, denying Sunil a shot at the gold.
Sunil Kumar has been a prominent figure in Indian Greco-Roman wrestling, having ended India’s 27-year-long wait for a gold medal in this category at the Asian Championships in 2020. He has also won consecutive bronze medals in 2022 and 2023, further cementing his legacy in the sport. At the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, Sunil brought home India’s first Greco-Roman wrestling medal in the competition.
In the 77kg category, India’s Sagar Thakran won his qualification match but suffered a 10-0 quarterfinal defeat against Jordan’s Amro Sadeh.
The tournament continues with five more Greco-Roman wrestlers—Sumit (60kg), Neeraj (67kg), Kuldeep Malak (72kg), Rahul (82kg), and Nitesh (97kg)—set to compete on Wednesday. Meanwhile, India’s Paris 2024 Olympians, Reetika Hooda (women’s 76kg) and Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg), will take to the mat on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
