Iunus iavbatirov

U23 World Wrestling Championships: The 18-year-old, Chirag Chikkara clinched a gold medal in the men’s freestyle 57kg category on the final day at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania marking India’s only gold at the event.

His triumph over Kyrgyzstan’s Abdymalik Karachov, which ended in a close 4-3 win, made him only the second Indian men’s wrestler and third Indian overall to capture gold at this prestigious championship. With this victory, India concluded their campaign with an impressive haul of nine medals.

After defeating Japan’s Gatuko Ozawa 6-1 in the first round, he dominated his quarterfinal matchup with a 12-2 win over Russia’s Iunus Iavbatirov. In the semifinals, Chirag put on a stellar performance against Kazakhstan’s Allan Oralbek to secure his place in the final, where he edged out Karachov.