Vishvajit More earns India's first Greco-Roman silver at U23 wrestling worlds

Vishvajit Ramchandra More won India's first Greco-Roman silver medal at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas on Thursday. Competing at 55kg, he finished one point behind Georgia's Koba Karumidze in a final that ended 13–12 in the Georgian wrestler's favour.

More had already broken new ground by becoming the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to qualify for a final at this championship. His silver followed a campaign featuring victories over opponents from Mexico, Iran and Russia.

He opened by overcoming Mexico's Isaac Marin Mata 10–8. In the quarterfinal, he defeated Iran's reigning under-20 world champion Armin Shamsipour by eight points to one.

More scored with a four-point throw in that contest, during which Shamsipour suffered a shoulder injury. The Indian then beat Russia's Malik Gigiev 6–4 in the semifinal to earn his opportunity to compete for gold.

The final was settled by a narrow margin, with Karumidze prevailing in its closing seconds. More's second-place finish nevertheless secured a new result for India in Greco-Roman wrestling at the under-23 event.

India also had women wrestlers progressing through the competition. Vaishnavi Patil in the 65kg division and Amruta Pujari at 72kg reached the semifinals after winning their earlier contests.

K. Komal qualified for a bronze-medal bout in the 59kg category. Mansi Lather's campaign at 68kg ended in the quarterfinals when Laura Godino edged her 10–9.

Meanwhile, nine Indian wrestlers in the Greco-Roman and women's groups were denied American visas. Wrestling Federation of India president Sanjay Singh criticised the refusals, alleging that they had reduced India's medal prospects and saying at least two of those affected were strong contenders for gold.

With inputs from Hindustan Times and Times of India.