Sunil Kumar secured a bronze medal in the 87 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category, opening India’s medal account in the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championship 2025.
The competition is being held in Amman, Jordan in which top wrestlers from the continent are taking part.
Kumar delivered a powerful performance, defeating China’s Jiaxin Huang 3-1 to claim the bronze. Earlier in the tournament, Sunil gave a dominant performance by defeating Tajikistan’s Sukhrob AbdulKhaev with a commanding 10-1 victory.
However, his gold medal hopes were dashed in the semifinals when he went down to Iran’s Yasin Ali Yazdi, who claimed a 3-1 win.
The grappler’s bronze medal marked a significant landmark in his career, making it his fifth senior medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships. He had previously won a silver in 2019 and a gold in 2020, ending India’s 27-year-long wait for a Greco-Roman gold at the Asian Championships.
Sunil also bagged consecutive bronze medals in 2022 and 2023. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou 2023, he earned India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Greco-Roman wrestling since 2010.
While Sunil Kumar opened India’s medal tally, the remaining four Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers—Nitin (55kg), Umesh (63kg), Sagar Thakran (77kg), and Prem (130kg)—failed to advance past their respective qualification rounds.
The next set of Indian wrestlers, Sumit (60kg), Neeraj (67kg), Kuldeep Malak (72kg), Rahul (82kg), and Nitesh (97kg), will clash on Wednesday, while India’s Paris 2024 Olympians, Reetika Hooda (women’s 76kg) and Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg), are expected to compete later in the week.
Also Read: Asian Wrestling Championships 2025: Check Indian Squad, Full Schedule
Indian contingent at Asian Wrestling Championships 2025
Women: Ankush (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Nishu (55kg), Neha Sharma (57kg), Muskan (59kg), Manisha (62kg), Monika (65kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), Jyoti Berwal (72kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg)
Men’s freestyle: Chirag (57kg), Udit (61kg), Sujeet (65kg), Vishal Kaliramana (70kg), Jaideep (74kg), Chandermohan (79kg), Mukul Dahiya (86kg), Deepak Punia (92kg), Jointy Kumar (97kg), Dinesh (125kg)
Greco Roman: Nitin (55kg), Sumit (60kg), Umesh (63kg), Neeraj (67kg), Kuldeep Malak (72kg), Sagar Thakran (77kg), Rahul (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Prem (130kg)
