New Delhi, March 17. Female wrestlers Meenakshi Goyat, Hanshika, and Mansi Lather, along with male freestyle competitors Aman, Sandeep Singh Mann, Mukul Dahiya, and Greco-Roman style contestants Sachin Sehrawat and Sunil Kumar, topped their respective weight categories in the selection trials for the 2026 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship.
The top continental event is scheduled to be held in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) from April 6 to 12, with the Indian wrestlers hoping to perform well in the competition.
Meenakshi Goyat, who has previously competed in the 50kg category several times and has recently settled in the 53kg category, shocked everyone by defeating Antim Panghal, the two-time World Championship bronze medallist, in the final bout of the women's 53kg trials.
This was a significant performance by Meenakshi, as she had previously lost to Antim in the trials, but she came back strongly this time to defeat the top contender in this weight category. The match was a closely contested one, with both wrestlers giving their best to overcome each other. Antim is a three-time medallist in the Asian Championship, while the 25-year-old Meenakshi is a two-time national champion and trains in Sonepat under former national coach Kuldeep Malik.
In another interesting competition in the 50kg category, Neelam, who defeated Shivani in the previous round, outclassed Priyanshi in the final, winning by technical superiority.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has also selected the squad to participate in the Beach Asian Games, which is scheduled to be held in China.
The list of wrestlers selected for the 2026 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship:
Free Style:
57 Kg. Ankush (DEL)
61 Kg. Aman (RSPB)
65 Kg. Sujeet (HAR)
70 Kg. Abhimanyou (HAR)
74 Kg. Jaideep (HAR)
79 Kg. Sandeep Singh Mann (PB)
86 Kg. Mukul Dahiya (DEL)
92 Kg. Punit Kumar (HAR)
97 Kg. Vicky (HAR)
125 Kg. Dinesh (HAR)
Greek-Roman Style:
55 Kg. Lalit (SSCB)
60 Kg. Sahil (HAR)
63 Kg. Sunny (HAR)
67 Kg. Sachin Sehrawat (SSCB)
72 Kg. Anil (HAR)
77 Kg. Aman (SSCB)
82 Kg. Prince (HAR)
87 Kg. Sunil Kumar (RSPB)
97 Kg. Nitesh (RSPB)
130 Kg. Joginder Rathi (HAR)
Women Wrestling:
50 Kg. Neelam (UP)
53 Kg. Meenakshi (HAR)
55 Kg. Hanshika (HAR)
57 Kg. Manisha (HAR)
59 Kg. Neha (HAR)
62 Kg. Mansi (RSPB)
65 Kg. Monika (RAJ)
68 Kg. Mansi Lather (HAR)
72 Kg. Harshita (RSPB)
76 Kg. Kajal (HAR)
The following wrestlers have also been selected for participation in the Beach Asian Games scheduled to be held in China:
Free Style:
70 Kg. Siddharth (HAR)
80 Kg. Amit (HAR)
90 Kg. Aryan (HAR)
90+ Kg. Jaspooran Singh (HAR)
Women Wrestling:
50 Kg. Priyanshi Prajapat (MP)
60 Kg. Pushpa Yadav (UP)
70 Kg. Jaspreet Kaur (PB)
70+ Kg. Priya Malik (HAR)