The team came out on top in New Delhi on day one of the U23s, notching up five of them. The two silvers from the Singhs were the backbone of it all, and you could feel the kind of momentum this discipline has been after in Asia.
Make no mistake, the twin silvers were the story, but the way the medals were spread across the 60kg to 130kg range was telling. This was a squad with some heft to it, not just one or two names carrying the load.
A change of pace for Indian Greco-Roman
You can see the line moving in the right direction. In Vietnam for the last U23s, we put three on the board – a gold for Sumit at 63kg and bronzes for Ankit Gulia and Nitesh.
Then there was the Bishkek event in Kyrgyzstan last month where the senior side put in a five-medal performance in Greco-Roman, by some measures the best we have done in a while at a continental level.
WFI chief Sanjay Singh was quick to call the first day’s work promising. He saw a lot of heart and discipline in his wrestlers and said it is a fair reflection of how far Indian Greco-Roman has come in the region.
How the finals played out
Suraj made short work of the 60kg field until he met Aibek Aitbekov of Kazakhstan in the title match. The 0-4 scoreline was a reminder of how thin the margins are up here, but it was still a hard-earned silver for us.
Sagar put in an equally solid run in the 67kg before facing down Uzbekistan’s Aytjan Khalmakhanov. He was outscored 0-9 in a technical superiority, but that silver was the sum of a whole tournament, not a one-off.
Some well-fought bronzes
And then you have the three who made sure the scoreboard kept running. Sachin Kumar (77kg), Rohit (97kg) and Hardeep (130kg) put in the work to make for a statement of a day.
Sachin was overpowered 3-10 by Alikhan Dursunov from Kazakhstan. Rohit had a 3-5 tussle with Bekhruz Barnoev of Uzbekistan. Hardeep’s 0-4 loss to Jokhar Uzarov in the 130kg was no different; they all walked away with the metal.
Vinit and Amit Gope, at 72kg and 82kg respectively, didn’t get past their opponents. Vinit was done in 6-9 by Shakhzod Kuchkorov of Uzbekistan, while Amit was out 0-10 by technical superiority to Tajik’s Muhammad Sultanzoda.
What the numbers mean
With five in the bag on Day 1, you can’t help but think the bar has been raised. Greco-Roman has always been a bit of a project for us, but what we are seeing in New Delhi is that we can hold our own if we stay even-keeled when it counts.
From the U23s in Vietnam to the seniors in Bishkek and now this, the programme is starting to click. In this game, you put in the results before you get the gold.
There are some technical losses to be learned from, Sagar’s final being one of them. But to have so many weight classes represented is a good omen for a system that is getting better all round.
In brief: Day 1
Here is what you need to know:
– Five Greco-Roman medals for India to start with
– The Silvers are from the hands of Suraj and Sagar
– Sachin, Rohit and Hardeep put in for the bronzes
– 0-4 in the end for Suraj, 0-9 for Sagar
– Vinit and Amit are out, both by technical superiority
You can be left a little miffed by the way the finals went, but the result is what it is. With two silvers and three bronzes under our belt, we are in a strong position as the lighter and middle weights make their move.
On deck for Sunday
Neeraj will be in the 55kg qualifiers. We also have Sumit at 63kg and Rohit Bura at 87kg, and we are looking to add to the tally.
If we can keep the same head we had on day one, we can build on this and make our mark in the continent. It is about taking that early control and making it count on the podium.
