U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021: Divya Kakran in action - watch live

Two-time Asian champion Divya Kakran will lead the Indian challenge at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021, which begins in Belgrade, Serbia from Monday.

Divya Kakran, a 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games bronze-medallist, will compete in the women’s 72kg category - the division in which she was crowned Asian champion in April this year.

The 21-year-old Sandeep Singh Mann, India’s reigning 74kg national champion, will be the leading contender in the men’s freestyle.

As many as 30 Indian wrestlers will be competing at the tournament, which will see more than 600 wrestlers compete across the men’s freestyle, women’s and Greco-Roman categories.

The event returns after a gap year, having been cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India have won six medals thus far - all silver medals - at the U23 world wrestling championships since the first edition in 2017.

Tokyo Olympics medallists Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Bajrang Punia won silver at the U23 worlds in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

India’s Ritu Phogat, the third of the Phogat sisters, also won silver in the 2018 edition. She has since shifted focus to mixed martial arts (MMA).

In the last edition of the U23 worlds in 2019, Ravinder Dahiya (silver in men’s 61kg) and Pooja Gehlot (silver in women’s 53kg) were the medal winners for India.

India squad for U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021

Men’s Freestyle

Saurabh Igave (57kg)

Suraj Kokate (61kg)

Parvinder (65kg)

Naveen (70kg)

Parveen Malik (74kg)

Vicky (79kg)

Sandeep Singh Mann (86kg)

Guradeshwar Singh (92kg)

Sahil (97kg)

Mohit (125kg)

Women’s wrestling

Shivani Pawar (50kg)

Ankush (53kg)

Anju (55kg)

Nitika (57kg)

Pushpa (59kg)

Radhika (62kg)

Nisha (65kg)

Monika (68kg)

Divya Kakran (72kg)

Bipasha (76kg)

Greco-Roman

Arshad (55kg)

Vikas (60kg)

Neeraj (63kg)

Ashu (67kg)

Vikas (72kg)

Sajan (77kg)

Rohit Dahiya (82kg)

Sunil Kumar (87kg)

Deepanshu (97kg)

Aryan Panwar (130kg)

Indian schedule at U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021

Monday, November 1

Greco-Roman qualification and semis: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg

Tuesday, November 2

Greco-Roman qualification and semis: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg

Greco-Roman repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg

Wednesday, November 3

Women’s qualification and semis: 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg

Greco-Roman repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg

Thursday, November 4

Women’s qualification and semis: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg

Women’s repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg

Friday, November 5

Men’s freestyle qualification and semis: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg

Women’s repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg

Saturday, November 6

Men’s freestyle qualification and semis: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg

Men’s repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg

Sunday, November 7

Men’s repechage and final (if any Indian qualifies): 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg

Where to watch U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021 live in India?

Live streaming of the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021 will be available on the official YouTube channel of United World Wrestling (UWW). It can also be followed live on the official UWW website.