Indian Wrestlers Kajal Dhochak, Neelam Sirohi Make History with Double World Championship Final Appearance

Indian women's wrestling achieved a historic milestone at the World Championships on Tuesday, as debutants Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi stormed into their respective gold medal bouts. This marks the first time two women grapplers from India will contest for a world title in the same edition of the premier event, breaking new ground for the country.

Neelam Sirohi, 26, secured her spot in the 50kg final by defeating Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova 7-3. She is now set to face the formidable Japanese great Yui Susaki, a four-time world champion, in the title clash. Neelam's achievement makes her only the second Indian woman wrestler ever to reach a World Championships final.

Shortly after, 18-year-old Kajal Dhochak became the third Indian woman to achieve this feat, pulling off a stunning 10-7 comeback victory over seasoned three-time World Championships medallist Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the 76kg semifinals. Kajal, who hails from Lath village in Haryana's Sonepat district, will vie for gold against Ukraine's European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva.

Prior to Tuesday's landmark double breakthrough, Anshu Malik, who earned a silver medal in 2021, was the sole Indian woman to have reached a World Championships final. Kajal's remarkable semifinal win was a display of strength and unyielding fighting spirit. She initially trailed 1-7 in the first period, surviving a pin attempt and an unsuccessful challenge that extended Medet Kyzy's lead to 7-1. Undeterred, Kajal launched a spirited counter-attack, executing two takedowns to narrow the deficit to 5-7. Indian coach Virender Dahiya urged her to push, and Kajal responded with a double-leg attack to take an 8-7 lead. A final takedown sealed her memorable 10-7 victory, leading to an emotional celebration.

Interestingly, both Neelam and Kajal had failed to secure berths in the Indian squad for the Asian Games, losing their final trial bouts to Deepanshi and Priya Malik, respectively. Neelam, from Mathura, trains at Najafgarh Stadium under chief coach Virender Dahiya and Parvesh Rathi, coming from a family with deep wrestling roots. Coach Dahiya expressed pride, stating, "The years of hard work has finally paid off. After a poor Asian Games show, this result has made us proud of our wrestlers." Parvesh Rathi highlighted improvements in Neelam's game, noting the addition of variations to her attack. Kajal had earlier secured a convincing 9-2 victory over Mongolia's Davaanasan Enkh Amar in the morning session.

What to watch: The gold medal bouts of Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi against their formidable opponents.

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