Sajan Bhanwala becomes India’s first Greco Roman medal winner at U-23 World Wrestling Championships

Sajan Bhanwala won a bronze medal in the Greco Roman 77kg category at the U-23 World Wrestling Championships 2022 on Tuesday to mark India’s first podium finish in Greco Roman wrestling in the age group at the worlds.

The Indian wrestler defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Vasetskyi in a closely-fought bronze match to clinch the historic medal for India. Sajan Bhanwala was trailing 4-10 at one stage but scored the next six points, including a four-point throw, to end the bout at 10-10.

Sajan emerged as the winner by criteria courtesy of scoring the highest-scoring move in the bout. In wrestling, if two grapplers finish a match level on points, the one who has scored the highest-scoring move or the final point wins the bout.

The Indian had earlier beaten Aistis Liaugminas of Lithuania 3-0 in qualification but lost to Alexandrin Gutu of Moldova 0-8 in the pre-quarterfinals. However, with Gutu reaching the final, Sajan moved into the repechage round where he beat Kazakhstan’s Rassul Zhunis to earn his medal match.

Sajan Bhanwala, who won bronze medals at the 2022 U23 Asian Championships and Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking series earlier this year, had made it to the semis at the 2019 U23 worlds but lost his medal round that time around.

India have a chance to secure a second medal on Wednesday with Vikas set to tussle with Japan’s Daigo Kobayashi for the Greco Roman 72kg bronze medal. In the men’s 82kg, India’s Rohit Dahiya was knocked out in the repechage after a loss to Estonia’s Ranet Kaljola.

Indian wrestlers plagued by visa issues

India is competing with a depleted squad at the ongoing U-23 World Wrestling Championship 2022 in Pontevedra after host country Spain denied visas to 21 of the 30 wrestlers chosen to represent India at the meet.

Antim Panghal, who became the first Indian woman’s wrestler to win a gold medal in the U-20 world championships earlier this year, has also been denied a visa. She was set to compete in the women’s 53kg.

As things stand, India will not have any representation in the following categories: women’s 55kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 68kg, 72kg and 76kg, men’s freestyle 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 79kg, 86kg, 92kg, 97kg and 125kg and Greco Roman 55kg, 63kg, 97kg and 130kg.