Wrestling Worlds: Sujeet loses in 65kg freestyle QF; Manisha enters women’s 69kg SF
Astana, Oct 29 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Asian champion Sujeet Kalkal suffered a narrow loss in the men’s freestyle 65 quarterfinal at the World Wrestling Championships here on Thursday.
The Asian Games champion was handed a close 3-3 loss on criteria by Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev, whom the Indian defeated in Aichi-Nogoya to win the gold Asian Games gold, launching an extraordinary late fightback from being 2-9 down.
In the quarterfinal in Astana, Sujeet took a 3-1 lead over Kudiev, and he managed to go behind Kudiev for a takedown, but the Tajik wrestler reached for Sujeet’s heel to defend and then managed to score a takedown. Kudiev held his 3-3 criteria lead to win.
This was Sujeet’s third meeting with Kudiev this year. He had beaten the Tajik wrestler 7-2 in the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Championships before going on to win the continental title.
Sujeet began on a strong note as he dominated Nino Leutert of Switzerland in the opening bout. He used two-arm throws for two points each before hitting a four-pointer to lead 8-0. Leutert scored a stepout to extend the bout, but Sujeet scored a second-period takedown to win 12-1.
In the 97 kg category, Vicky Hooda went down 2-12 via technical superiority to Japan’s Arash Yoshida in his quarter-final.
Yoshida controlled the full bout with stepouts and takedowns before countering a move for a four-pointer. Vicky got two points, but Yoshida has no problems seeing off the remaining time.
Both Sujeet and Vicky have a chance in the repechage category if their respective quarterfinal opponents make it to the final.
Meanwhile, Manisha defeated Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu 6-0 with two stepouts and two takedowns to enter the women’s 59 kg semifinal. She has defeated Canada’s Laurence Beauregard 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
In the women’s 55 kg, Ahilya Shinde began with 8-1 win over Cuba’s Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia before going down 6-9 to Turkiye’s Tuba Demir in the quarterfinals.
Demir overcame a 3-0 deficit in the second period, putting on a surge to defeat Ahilya and advance to the 55kg semifinals. Demir went ahead with a whizzer counter for 2 points and a subsequent exposure that Shinde reversed, leaving the Turk ahead 5-4. Demir appeared to clinch the victory with a takedown with 12 seconds left, but the two weren’t done, exchanging two-point exposures in the final seconds.
Ahilya still have a chance for a bronze medal playoff if Demir reaches the final.
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