India’s Neelam Sirohi and 18-year-old Kajal Dhochak clinched silver medals at the World Wrestling Championships 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, marking a historic milestone for Indian women’s wrestling.
Neelam finished runner-up in the women’s 50kg category, while Kajal secured silver in the 76kg division.
With their achievements, the duo became only the second and third Indian women to reach a World Championships final. Anshu Malik was the first, winning silver in the 57kg category in 2021.
Neelam faced Japan’s former Olympic champion Yui Susaki in the gold-medal bout but lost by fall. She had earlier defeated Belarus’ Natallia Varakina 6-0 and Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova 7-3 to reach the final.
Kajal, meanwhile, went down to Ukraine’s European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva in the 76kg final.
The 18-year-old had produced a remarkable comeback in the semi-final, overturning a 1-7 deficit to beat Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7. She had also defeated Mongolia’s Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan 9-2 and Lithuania’s Kamile Griskiene Gaucaite by fall.
A two-time U20 world champion, Kajal’s silver medal adds another landmark achievement to her rising career.
The twin silver-medal finishes mark a significant breakthrough for India, with two women reaching the World Championships finals in the same edition for the first time.
