India's male wrestlers suffer early setback at World Championships

India's campaign at the World Wrestling Championships commenced on a disappointing note as all four men’s freestyle wrestlers competing on the opening day (Saturday) in Croatia’s Zagreb were defeated in their preliminary matches.

Three of them were subsequently eliminated from the competition after their opponents lost in the following rounds, extinguishing any hopes of advancing through the repechage.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Mukul Dahiya remained the sole hope in the 86kg category after his opponent, USA’s Zahid Valencia, progressed to the semifinals by winning his pre-quarters and last-eight stage bouts. Should Valencia reach the title round, Dahiya will have the opportunity to compete in the repechage and vie for a bronze medal.The country faced a setback in the 61kg division when Udit, who had a first-round bye, was narrowly defeated by Kyrgyzstan’s Taiyrbek Uulu in the round-of-16 clash. Udit was unable to overcome Uulu’s tight defense and lost 0-2 after conceding a point each for passivity during the two three-minute rounds. Uulu was later ousted in the quarterfinals.

During the day’s opening session, Rohit was the first Indian wrestler to take the mat in the 70kg class against Uzbekistan’s Begijon Kuldashev.

Despite a confident approach and effective attacking moves that gave Rohit the lead on points, a late takedown by Kuldashev in the closing moments of the bout secured a hard-fought 5-4 victory for the Uzbek competitor.In the super heavyweight category (125kg), Rajat Ruhal was defeated by Hungary’s Vlagyiszlav Balcajev with a score of 5-2. Ruhal struggled to find his rhythm and offensive opportunities in the first round. Although he managed a takedown in the second period to reduce the deficit to 2-3, Balcajev’s late takedown ultimately determined the outcome, leaving Ruhal without another opening.Mukul Dahiya received a comprehensive defeat from Valencia, who exhibited aggressive attacks and robust defense throughout the bout, culminating in a decisive 10-0 victory for the American wrestler.