India endured a challenging opening day at the
The day was marked by a significant turnaround for Lalit during his round of 16 clash against Turkiye’s Omer Halis Recep. Facing a daunting 0-7 deficit and standing just a single point away from a technical superiority defeat, the Indian wrestler mounted a remarkable comeback. He secured nine consecutive points to clinch a 9-7 victory, successfully advancing his campaign.
Repechage Path Opens for Lalit
Following his narrow escape in the round of 16, Lalit faced a formidable challenge in the next round against Iran’s Payam Farzad Ahmadi. The Iranian, who holds the 2025 U20 world title and is a reigning senior world silver medallist, proved too strong, securing a victory by technical superiority. However, because Ahmadi subsequently advanced to the final, a path through the repechage has opened for the Indian competitor. Lalit is now scheduled to contest two bouts on Sunday, with a bronze medal on the line.
The remainder of the Indian contingent struggled to gain momentum on the opening day. In the 60kg division, Harsh was defeated by Kyrgyzstan’s Kurmanbek Zhaparov, who claimed a 9-0 victory by technical superiority. Similarly, Lovepreet Singh faced a difficult outing in the 77kg category, falling 0-8 to Uzbekistan’s Doniyorkhon Nakibov, also by technical superiority.
Prince, competing in the 82kg weight class, was unable to overcome Serbia’s Viktor Nemes, ultimately losing 1-3. Reports noted that the
