Wrestling, Under-17 World C’ships 2023: Led by Savita’s gold, India ends campaign with 11 medals

India ended their 2023 World Cadet Wrestling Championships, meant for under-17 grapplers, with a total of 11 medals, including a gold, at Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday.

Savita, who entered the event as the defending champion, won the only gold medal for India at Istanbul in the women’s 61kg weight division.

The 17-year-old defeated Japan’s Konami Ono 9-6 in the final to be crowned the world cadet champion.

Earlier in the tournament, Savita had registered three consecutive victories by technical superiority in the round of 16, quarter-finals, and the semi-finals to force her way into the title clash.

While she took down Turkey’s Beyza Nur Akkus in the pre-quarter-finals, Kazakhstan’s Sofya Zmazneva and USA’s Haylie Emma Jaffee were on the receiving end of Savita’s dominance in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

India also bagged seven silver and three bronze medals in the tournament to finish sixth overall in the overall medal tally.

India finished sixth in the men’s freestyle and fourth in men’s Greco-Roman team rankings as well. However, it was the women’s freestyle where India shone best by finishing third, only behind Japan and USA, with 118 points in the team rankings.