'Future stars of Indian wrestling' Coach Dahiya backs Manisha, Neelam and Kajal for LA Olympics 2028 after historic World Championships

India women’s wrestling coach Virender Dahiya has backed silver medallists Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak to emerge stronger from their experiences at the 2026 Women’s Wrestling World Championships, expressing confidence that the duo, alongside historic gold medallist Manisha Bhanwala, could bring laurels for the country at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

India signed off from the championships with its best-ever medal haul, finishing fourth in the medal standings with one gold, two silver and one bronze. While Manisha scripted history by becoming the country’s first woman to win a senior World Championships gold, Neelam (50kg) and Kajal (76kg) secured silver medals, with Tanu Sharma adding a bronze in the 72kg category.

Assessing Neelam’s run, Dahiya pointed to the formidable challenge she faced against Japan’s Yui Susaki, a five-time world champion, while emphasising that reaching the final itself was a significant achievement for the Indian wrestler.

"Neelam was up against Japan’s Yui Susaki, who is nothing short of a natural phenomenon. She is an extraordinary wrestler, almost a miracle in herself. However, even the best can be beaten. Susaki has lost in Japan as well, but that does not take away from what a great wrestler she is. For Neelam to reach this stage is a huge achievement, and we are all proud of her. We are confident she will do much better going forward," Dahiya said while replying to an IANS query during a joint media interaction facilitated by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday.

The coach also stressed that Kajal’s silver-medal finish should be viewed in the context of her ongoing development, backing both wrestlers to become important figures in India’s future international campaigns. "Kajal is also still gaining experience, and both of them, along with Manisha, are the future stars of Indian wrestling. God willing, we hope to see all three of them competing at the Los Angeles Olympics and reproducing the kind of performances they have delivered here," he added.

Indian wrestlers’ overall performance saw the nation finish fifth in the team rankings with 94 points, behind the United States, Japan, China and Ukraine. The four-medal return surpassed the country’s previous best at the Women’s Wrestling World Championships, when it won two medals each in 2012 and 2021.