Wrestling: Kajal Dhochak wins senior World silver, eyes Olympic quota

Wrestler Kajal Dhochak has turned 18 into a year of wrestling success. Hindustan Times reported that she has reached the podium in eight competitions this year, winning five gold medals across under-20, under-23 and senior divisions in the 76kg Olympic class. The silver came on her senior World Championships debut in Astana, Kazakhstan, where she entered as a medal contender after five gold medals on the trot.

The run-up to Astana

Kajal’s senior debut earlier this year got off to a rocky start when she lost to Turkey’s Elmira Yasin 7-5 in the second round at the Tirana Ranking Series.

Another early exit followed at the Senior Asian Championships in Bishkek where Kazakhstan’s Gulmaral Yerkebayeva handed her a 5-3 defeat. The turnaround began with gold at the U-23 Asian Championships, followed by her first senior-level title at the Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series.

She then won the U-20 Asian Championships without conceding a point, claimed another senior title in Budapest and capped the run by defending her U-20 world crown in Bratislava.

The medal match in Astana

Her winning mindset was on show particularly in the semi-final against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy, a bout in which she overturned a 1-7 deficit to win 10-7. “I knew I could come back from that deficit,” she said.

” That arrived in the second period and Kajal went on a takedown spree to seal the bout. In the final against Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, Kajal had fought back to l

What the silver means

India’s women wrestlers have a dismal record at the Olympics, with Sakshi Malik’s bronze in Rio 2016 being the lone podium finish. Kajal is determined to change that.

“Winning a Worlds medal gives me the belief that I can secure my qualification and also win an Olympic medal in 2028,” she said.

A two-time under-20 world champion, Kajal carries with her the confidence that comes from a sublime junior career but is mindful of what’s ahead of her. “Success at age-group level is great but for elite wrestlers, senior Worlds title is equivalent to an Olympic gold. ”

The road to Los Angeles

The 2027 edition of the Worlds will be held from September 11-19 in Las Vegas. It will be the first qualification event for the Olympics.

It awards four quotas per weight class (total 72) to the National Olympic Committees of the medallists (gold, silver, and 2 bronze medallists). “I will come back with a gold medal from the next World Championships,” she declared on Sunday.

” “My coaches and trainers believed in my abilities. Right from the national camp in Delhi’s IG Stadium to Astana, they kept telling me that I have the potential to be the best in the world.

” Kajal, who is supported by JSW, added that competing across weight categories meant she got enough match exposure. “If you don’t compete enough, no matter how good you are, you will be nervous going into a big event. ”

Kajal will target the 2027 Worlds in Las Vegas to secure an Olympic quota and a medal for the 2028 Games.

Kajal Dhochak's 2026 run

Related on Apex Sports News

• Neelam Sirohi wins silver at Wrestling World Championships

• Manisha Bhanwala wins first Indian women’s wrestling world gold

• Tanu Sharma wins 72kg bronze on Senior World Championships debut

Sources

• Hindustan Times

• Photo: Ilgar Jafarov, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)