Sitender retains U17 world crown as India finishes with 13 medals at Baku Championships

Baku: India wrapped up its campaign at the 2026 U17 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on a high, with three medals on the final day taking the country's overall tally in women's wrestling and men's freestyle events to 13.

Seventeen-year-old Sitender Malik successfully defended his U17 world title by defeating Russia's Sergei Karmrian 3-1 in the men's 60kg freestyle final. Wrestling with confidence and control, Sitender claimed his second consecutive U17 world championship gold.

With this victory, Sitender became only the second Indian male freestyle wrestler to win two U17 (Cadet) World Championship titles. The achievement puts him alongside Indian wrestling great and two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who captured Cadet World titles in 1998 and 1999.

India added two more medals on the concluding day through bronze-winning performances by Hanumant Rajendra Jadhav and Saksham FNU.

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Competing in the 45kg category, Hanumant outclassed Iran's Mahdi Davoud Damercheli with a commanding 7-1 victory in the bronze medal bout.

In the 92kg bronze medal match, Saksham FNU edged past Iran's Mohammad Reza Behrang Isazadeh 3-2 after a closely fought contest, holding his nerve in the closing moments to secure India's third medal of the day.

With the men's freestyle events concluding, the 2026 U17 World Championships came to an end.

India's medal winners

Men's Freestyle

• Gold: Sitender Malik (60kg)
• Silver: Aaryan (48kg)
• Bronze: Hanumant Rajendra Jadhav (45kg), Prathamesh Suryakanth Patil (55kg), Saksham FNU (92kg), Arush Rana (110kg)

Women's Wrestling

• Silver: Sandhya Vishnoi (46kg), Akshara (53kg), Nikita Sehrawat (57kg)
• Bronze: Kamna Babal (49kg), Avanshika (61kg), Taniya (69kg), Garima (73kg)

With inputs from IANS