# World Wrestling Championships: Lalit stays in medal race as three Indians bow out
_Lalit is the only Indian left in Greco-Roman competition after wins and losses on day one._

- Publisher: Apex Sports News (https://apexsportsnews.in)
- Canonical URL: https://apexsportsnews.in/news/world-wrestling-championships-lalit-stays-in-medal-race-as-three-indians-bow
- Author: Atul, Editor (https://apexsportsnews.in/author/atul)
- Published: 2026-10-25T05:17:50.864Z
- Section: Other Sports
- Topics: India, Lalit, World Wrestling Championships, Greco-Roman
## Summary

Lalit kept India's hopes alive in the 55kg category at the World Wrestling Championship, while Harsh, Lovepreet Singh and Prince were eliminated in their opening bouts on Saturday.

## Key takeaways

- Lalit won 9-7 against Turkiye's Omer Halis Recep after trailing 0-7
- Lalit then lost by technical superiority to Iran's Payam Farzad Ahmadi
- Harsh lost 0-9 by technical superiority to Kyrgyzstan's Kurmanbek Zhaparov
- Lovepreet Singh lost 0-8 by technical superiority to Uzbekistan's Doniyorkhon Nakibov
- Prince lost 1-3 to Serbia's Viktor Nemes

## Article

India endured a tough opening day at the World Wrestling Championship, with only Lalit managing to stay in the medal race in the 55kg category while three other Greco-Roman wrestlers were eliminated on Saturday.

Lalit looked down and out against Turkiye’s Omer Halis Recep in the round of 16, trailing 0-7 and standing just one point away from defeat. However, the Indian produced a stunning turnaround, reeling off nine consecutive points to register a 9-7 victory and keep his campaign alive.

His next opponent was Iran’s Payam Farzad Ahmadi, the 2025 U20 world champion and reigning senior world silver medallist. Ahmadi secured a win by technical superiority. Ahmadi later reached the final, opening up the repechage route for Lalit, who now needs to win two bouts on Sunday to win a bronze medal.

Harsh (60kg), Lovepreet Singh (77kg) and Prince (82kg) lost their opening bouts to bow out. Lovepreet lost to Uzbekistan’s Doniyorkhon Nakibov by technical superiority (0-8) in the qualification round, while Prince suffered a 1-3 defeat against Serbia’s Viktor Nemes. Harsh went down by technical superiority (0-9) to Kyrgyzstan’s Kurmanbek Zhaparov in his qualification bout.

Sandeep Tulsi Yadav is the only Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to have won a medal at the World Championships, a bronze at the 2013 edition in Budapest, Hungary.

Competition will continue in Greco-Roman style on Sunday featuring bouts in 72kg, 97kg and 130kg weight divisions.

### Opening day results for Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers

| Wrestler | Weight | Opponent | Result |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lalit | 55kg | Omer Halis Recep (Turkiye) | Won 9-7 |
| Lalit | 55kg | Payam Farzad Ahmadi (Iran) | Lost by technical superiority |
| Harsh | 60kg | Kurmanbek Zhaparov (Kyrgyzstan) | Lost 0-9 by technical superiority |
| Lovepreet Singh | 77kg | Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan) | Lost 0-8 by technical superiority |
| Prince | 82kg | Viktor Nemes (Serbia) | Lost 1-3 |

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### Sources

- NDTV Sports: https://sports.ndtv.com/wrestling/lalit-stays-in-medal-race-three-others-bow-out-on-opening-day-12230675#publisher=newsstand
- Sportstar: https://sportstar.thehindu.com/wrestling/lalit-world-wrestling-championships-repechage-bronze-medal-chance-india-results/article71621031.ece
- Photo: Løken, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2021\_World\_Wrestling\_Championships\_arena.jpg
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