Golden Grit: Indian Women Lead Ulaanbaatar Medal Haul
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led the nation in celebrating the remarkable achievements of Indian wrestlers at the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025, where they secured an impressive haul of 21 medals, including six golds, at the third stop of the United World Wrestling Ranking Series held in Mongolia from May 29 to June 1, 2025.
In a post on X, Modi praised the athletes, particularly highlighting the women’s contingent for delivering their finest performance yet in the prestigious tournament. He noted that their success would serve as an inspiration for aspiring athletes across India, underscoring the growing prominence of Indian wrestling on the global stage.
The Ulaanbaatar Open, hosted in the Mongolian capital, saw over 200 wrestlers from various nations compete across men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman categories. India fielded a strong contingent of 31 wrestlers, with 10 each in women’s and Greco-Roman events and 11 in men’s freestyle, showcasing a blend of seasoned Olympians and emerging talents. The Indian team’s performance was marked by consistency and dominance, particularly in women’s wrestling, where they claimed four of the five gold medals available on the second day of competition.
Among the standout performers at Ulaanbaatar was Antim Panghal, a Paris 2024 Olympian and Asian bronze medallist, who dominated the women’s 53kg category. Panghal delivered a flawless performance, outscoring her opponents 37-0 across four bouts, including a 10-0 victory over Mongolia’s Ariunzaya Odonchimeg in the semi-final and another 10-0 win against neutral athlete Natalia Malysheva in the final. Her commanding display exemplified India’s rising prowess in women’s wrestling. Similarly, Neha Sangwan, making her senior international debut, stunned the field in the 57kg category by defeating Olympian Bolortuya Khurelkhuu of Mongolia 4-0 in the final, securing gold with a perfect record in the Nordic system.
Reetika Hooda, another Paris 2024 Olympian, clinched the women’s 76kg freestyle gold with a 3-0 record, sealing her triumph with a hard-fought 5-2 victory over Mongolia’s world medallist Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan in the final pool bout. Muskan, a 17-year-old prodigy, added to India’s golden tally in the 59kg category, overcoming a challenging field that included European silver medallist Bediha Gun of Türkiye. Muskan’s victories included a narrow 5-4 win over Gun and a dominant 9-0 performance against Mongolia’s Altjin Togtokh. Harshita, a former world U17 champion, rounded off the women’s gold rush by defeating Mongolia’s Tsogzolmaa Dorjsuren 14-4 in the 72kg final, showcasing her attacking prowess.
In the men’s Greco-Roman events at the Ulaanbaatar Open, Anil Mor led the charge on the opening day, securing gold in the 55kg category with a pinfall victory over Kyrgyzstan’s Ulan Muratbek Uulu. His flawless run included four wins in the Nordic system, setting the tone for India’s campaign. The Greco-Roman contingent added further medals, with Prince earning silver in the 82kg category after a 9-0 technical superiority win over Qatar’s Shahin Badaghimofrad in the final, following an injury withdrawal by Türkiye’s Burhan Akbudak. Nitesh secured silver in the 97kg division, while Nishant Phogat, Karan Kamboj, and Neeraj claimed bronze medals in the 77kg, 87kg, and 67kg categories, respectively. Suraj, a former world U17 champion, took silver in the 60kg category, narrowly missing out on gold.
The men’s freestyle events saw Aman Sehrawat, India’s youngest individual Olympic medallist from Paris 2024, return to international competition with a bronze in the 57kg category. Sehrawat started with an 11-1 win over Kyrgyzstan’s Almaz Smanbekov but fell 14-11 to Mexico’s Roman Bravo-Young in the semi-final. He bounced back to secure bronze with a 12-2 victory over Türkiye’s Bekir Keser. Udit Gulia earned silver in the 61kg category, narrowly losing 6-4 to Mongolia’s Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg in the final after dominant wins in earlier rounds. Deepak Punia, a Tokyo 2020 semi-finalist, also claimed silver in the 92kg category, with notable victories including a 10-0 technical superiority over Mongolia’s Demchigdorj Tumurbaatar. Jaideep added a bronze in the 74kg category, while Vicky secured bronze in the 97kg category with a 5-0 win over U23 European champion Uladzislau Kazlou. Amit rounded out India’s medal tally with a bronze in the 79kg category, defeating Mongolia’s Dalaitseren Javkhlankhuu on criteria after a 14-14 draw.
Despite the successes, some Indian wrestlers faced challenges. Rohit suffered a 13-0 defeat to Türkiye’s Ahmet Duman in the 65kg category, and Dinesh failed to advance to the medal rounds in the 125kg category. Manisha Bhanwala, an Asian champion, exited early in the women’s 62kg category after a loss to Mongolia’s Orkhon Purevdorj, despite an opening win over Alina Kasabieva.
The tournament, streamed live on United World Wrestling’s platform, highlighted India’s growing stature in global wrestling, with the women’s team particularly shining as a beacon of progress. The Indian contingent’s haul of six golds, seven silvers, and eight bronzes marked a significant improvement over previous Ranking Series performances, reinforcing the nation’s potential ahead of the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, from 13 to 21 September. As Modi noted, the achievements of India’s wrestlers, particularly the women, signal a bright future for the sport, with young athletes like Neha, Muskan, and Harshita proving their mettle against seasoned international competitors.
– global bihari bureau
