India’s Sumit Malik Reaches 57kg Final at U20 Wrestling Worlds

Samokov (Bulgaria): Young Indian wrestler Sumit Malik powered his way into the men’s 57kg final at the U20 World Wrestling Championships on Monday, producing a dominant 11-3 win over Moldova’s Ion Bulgaru in the semifinal.

The bout saw Malik seize control early with a stepout and a quick takedown to lead 4-0 at the break. He extended the margin with relentless attacking moves in the second period, pushing the score to 7-0. Though Bulgaru briefly fought back with a takedown, Malik’s superior tempo and sharp counters sealed the contest.

The 19-year-old will now battle for gold against Magomed Ozdamirov (UWW), who overcame Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov 3-1 in the other semifinal.

Elsewhere, the 92kg category saw Kazakhstan’s Kamil Kurugliyev continue his resurgence. The former U17 world champion, who shifted from 97kg this year, defeated Azerbaijan’s Anar Jafarli 9-6 and will take on Asian U20 champion Sherzod Poyonov (Uzbekistan) in the final.

The United States also made headlines, with two wrestlers advancing to gold medal bouts. Luke Stanich stunned European U20 and U23 champion Amal Dzhandubaev (UWW) 3-1 in the 65kg semis, setting up a clash with Japan’s Reiji Uchida, who dominated Viktor Borohan (Ukraine) 10-0. At 79kg, William Henckel edged India’s Amit 5-4 in a close contest, earning a final against Iran’s Mahdi Yousefi, who posted a high-scoring 15-7 win over Said Saidulov (UWW).

With Malik’s entry into the final, India remains in the hunt for a coveted gold at the championship.