Haryana sweeps team titles at U-23 National Wrestling Championship

Hosts Haryana stamped their authority by sweeping the overall team titles in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling at the U-23 National Wrestling Championships here on Tuesday. The host state topped the men’s freestyle division with 200 points, the Greco-Roman category with 195 points, and the women’s wrestling field with 183 points at the three-day domestic event.

Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) finished runners-up in both men’s freestyle (138 points) and Greco-Roman (165 points), while Maharashtra claimed the second spot in the women’s wrestling team standings with 160 points.

In the men’s freestyle category, Haryana and SSCB athletes shared the major honours alongside strong performances from Punjab.

In the 74kg weight category, Narender of SSCB bagged the gold medal after defeating Himachal Pradesh’s Naveen, while Rishab Jakhar of Punjab and Yash of Haryana completed the podium with bronze medals.

The 79kg title went to Haryana’s Paras, who overcame a tough challenge from SSCB’s Yash, while Priyanshu of Delhi and Vishal Kumar of Punjab locked in the bronze medals.

Sahil Dalal asserted SSCB’s strength in the 86kg class by winning the gold medal over Haryana’s Himanshu Antil, with Sumit Thakur of Himachal Pradesh and Anuj Tomar of Uttar Pradesh securing the bronze medals. In the heavyweight 125kg division, Jaspooran Singh of Punjab wrestled his way to a gold medal finish against Uttar Pradesh’s Lakshay Kumar, while Rohit of Haryana and Rishabh Singh of Rajasthan signed off with the bronze medals.

The Greco-Roman discipline mirrored a similar battle for dominance, with Haryana and SSCB leading the charge.