India's young wrestlers have made the country proud with their outstanding performance at the Under-17 World Wrestling Championships. Notably, Laki has entered the final in the 110 kg freestyle category with a powerful display of wrestling.
Sports News: India's young wrestlers have shone brightly at the Under-17 World Wrestling Championships 2025, bringing glory to the nation. In particular, Laki (110 kg freestyle) has displayed tremendous strength and has advanced to the tournament final, now just one win away from becoming a world champion. Indian wrestler Laki has impressed everyone with his wrestling talent and technical skills.
He defeated Hanto Hayashi of Japan by technical superiority in his first match. Following this, he secured a place in the quarter-finals by defeating Murtazi Bagdavadze of Georgia with a significant score of 8-0. In the semi-finals, he faced Amirhossein M. Naghdalipour of Iran, a powerhouse in wrestling. Even in this extremely tough match, Laki registered a victory with confidence and aggression. Now, in the final, Laki will face Magomedrasul Omarov, who is competing under the UWW (United World Wrestling) banner.
This match could prove to be the biggest opportunity of his career so far. If Laki wins this match, he could win India's first gold medal at the 2025 U17 World Championships.
Gourav Poonia has a Chance to Win a Bronze Medal
Another talented Indian wrestler, Gourav Poonia, also had a good start to the tournament. He defeated his opponents by technical superiority in his first two matches without conceding any points. However, he faced a defeat against Arsenii Kikiniou of the USA in the quarter-finals. But the good news is that the American wrestler reached the final, giving Gourav another chance in the repechage round. Now, if Gourav Poonia manages to win both of his repechage matches, a bronze medal could come into India's account.
Shivam and Jayveer's Medal Hopes End
However, the challenge of the other two wrestlers from India has ended in this tournament. Shivam (48 kg category) fought hard against Sabirzhan Rakhatov of Kazakhstan but lost by a very narrow margin of 6-7. Unfortunately, Rakhatov also lost his next match, ending the chance of a repechage for Shivam.
Jayveer Singh (55 kg category) defeated Ionnis Kesidis of Greece by technical superiority in his first match. But in the quarter-finals, he suffered a 0-3 defeat against Gratton F. Burnett of the USA. Since Burnett lost and was eliminated in the semi-finals, the tournament also ended for Jayveer. This performance of Indian wrestlers is an indication that India's wrestling talent is strengthening at the grassroots level. It is a matter of pride for the country that Indian wrestlers are competing fiercely on the world stage in the Under-17 age group.
