Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 Wrestling: India Clinches 17 Medals, Greco-Roman Team Crowned Champions
The Indian wrestling contingent concluded a highly successful campaign at the Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 Senior Ranking Series in Mongolia, securing a total of 17 medals. Competing across a four-day schedule, the Indian athletes delivered dominant performances across Greco-Roman, women’s freestyle, and men’s freestyle disciplines to finish with eight gold medals and nine bronze medals.
The tournament served as a crucial part of the competitive build-up for Indian wrestlers ahead of the 2026 Asian Games.
Greco-Roman Contingent Claims Team Title
India opened the Ranking Series event on a strong note as the Greco-Roman team secured the overall team championship trophy, finishing at the top of the standings with 119 points.
- Sunil Kumar (87kg - Gold): The prominent Indian grappler secured the top spot on the podium to claim one of the opening golds for the nation.
- Nitesh Kumar (97kg - Gold): Nitesh displayed excellent form to win the second Greco-Roman gold medal for India on the opening day.
- Sahil (60kg - Bronze): Sahil secured a bronze medal to round up the podium finishes for the Greco-Roman squad.
Women's Freestyle Team Dominates with Three Golds
The Indian women's wrestling contingent contributed a total of seven medals to the country's tally, highlighted by three gold-medal performances.
- Manisha Bhanwala (57kg - Gold): Manisha captured a gold medal with a clinical run through her weight category.
- Neha Sangwan (59kg - Gold): The former world age-group champion secured another gold medal for India in the 59kg division.
- Kajal Dhochak (76kg - Gold): Kajal topped the podium in the 76kg heavyweight division to ensure India's third female gold of the meet.
- Bronze Medalists: Neelam (50kg), Hansika Lamba (55kg), Mansi Ahlawat (62kg), and Priya Malik (76kg) added four bronze medals to anchor the women's performance.
Men's Freestyle Squad Finishes Runners-Up
On the concluding day, the men's freestyle team bagged three gold medals and four bronze medals, finishing second in the team championship standings behind Russia.
- Deepak (61kg - Gold): Deepak cruised to the gold medal with a dominant 6-0 shutout against Kazakhstan's Assyl Aitakyn in the final. He had earlier beaten Bair Baianduev 6-0 in the quarter-finals and Adilet Almukhamedov 7-1 in the semi-finals.
- Sagar Jaglan (74kg - Gold): The Asian Games-bound grappler showed immense grit to defeat Russia’s Tamir Eshinimaev 3-2 in a tight final.
- Dinesh Dhankhar (125kg - Gold): In the heavyweight division, the 25-year-old Dinesh defeated Kazakhstan’s U20 world champion Yedige Kassimbek 2-0 in the final. His path to the final included a 5-1 quarter-final victory over World Championships bronze medalist Robert Baran of Poland and an 11-0 technical superiority victory against Timur Kotaev in the semi-finals.
- Bronze Medalists: Sumit (57kg), Kumar Mohit (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), and Vicky (97kg) claimed the remaining four bronze medals on the final day. Sumit won his bronze bout 6-3 against Kazakhstan's Abzal Okenov, while Mohit Kumar secured a 17-6 technical superiority win against Kazakhstan's Ossimzhan Dastanbek.
Performance Breakdown by Discipline
| Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greco-Roman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Women's Freestyle | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Men's Freestyle | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 9 | 17 |
Welcoming the team's historic performance, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh described the results as a landmark achievement, praising both the Greco-Roman overall championship victory and the men's freestyle runner-up finishing position.