Vishvajit More Makes History as First Indian to Claim Greco-Roman Silver at U23 Worlds

Vishvajit More Creates History, Wins Silver at U23 World Wrestling Championships

India’s Vishvajit Ramchandra More scripted history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian wrestler to win a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the U23 World Championships. More narrowly missed the gold medal after going down 12-13 to Georgia’s Koba Karumidze in a thrilling men’s 55kg final.

The Indian wrestler was within reach of the title, but Karumidze pulled ahead in the closing seconds to secure victory. Despite the heartbreaking defeat, More achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to qualify for the final of the U23 World Championships.

More, who had claimed bronze medals at the previous editions of the competition, began his campaign with a closely fought 10-8 win over Mexico’s Isaac Marin Mata. He then delivered an impressive performance in the quarter-finals, defeating Iran’s Armin Shamsipour, the reigning U20 world champion, 8-1.

A four-point throw helped More establish control in the quarter-final bout, during which Shamsipour appeared to sustain a shoulder injury.

In the semi-finals, More continued his strong run by defeating Russia’s Malik Gigiev 7-4 in a competitive encounter to secure his place in the title clash. Karumidze reached the final after overcoming Kyrgyzstan’s Barsbek Asankozhoev in his semi-final bout.

More ultimately had to settle for silver after the narrow loss, missing the opportunity to become India’s first Greco-Roman gold medallist at the U23 World Championships. Nevertheless, the achievement marked another significant chapter in his career, adding a silver medal to his two previous bronze finishes at the tournament.

Indian Wrestlers Eye Bronze Medals

In the women’s category, Komal remains in contention for a bronze medal after losing her semi-final bout to Ukraine’s Alina Filipovych by technical superiority.

Diksha Malik, competing in the 68kg category, is also in the bronze medal race. Meanwhile, Mansi Lather’s campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals following a narrow 9-10 defeat against Italy’s Laura Godino.

India’s remaining Greco-Roman wrestlers failed to advance to the medal rounds. Chetan lost his pre-quarter-final bout in the 63kg category, while Karan Kamboj suffered a technical superiority defeat during the qualification round of the 87kg event.

Visa Rejections Affect India’s Campaign

India’s participation in the 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas was hampered by visa-related difficulties, with nine wrestlers from the Greco-Roman and women’s categories reportedly denied visas.

The reasons cited for the rejections included the applicants being under 20 years of age and not having full-time employment. The development affected India’s representation at the tournament, although More’s historic silver medal emerged as a major highlight of the country’s campaign.