Should Sehrawat succeed in his next encounter against Kazakhstan’s Iskhar Kurbayev, he will join an exclusive group of
Mixed Results for Indian Contingent
While Sehrawat’s progression provided a significant boost for the Indian squad, the remainder of the team endured a difficult day on the mat. Three other Indian wrestlers saw their campaigns come to an early end after failing to advance past their opening bouts.
Nitesh Siwach, who arrived at the tournament as an Asian Games silver medallist, found the going tough in the 97kg category. He was defeated by Germany's Anton Vieweg, who dominated the contest by executing a four-point throw in both periods to secure a victory by technical superiority.
In the 72kg division, Karanjit was involved in a tightly contested qualification bout against Japan's Rintaro Sogabe. Despite securing a favourable par terre position, Karanjit was unable to convert the opportunity into points. Sogabe capitalised on the situation, scoring on the counterattack to edge out a 3-2 win.
The 130kg category saw Joginder Rathee face a formidable challenge against Turkish wrestling veteran Riza Kayaalp. The reigning European champion, making his return to the World Championships after a three-year absence, proved too strong. Kayaalp controlled the match with three successive exposure moves and concluded the bout with a gut wrench to secure a comprehensive victory.
