Neelam Sirohi takes silver after Yui Susaki pin in Astana 50kg final

On October 29, 2026 in Astana at the World Wrestling Championships, India's Neelam Sirohi lost the women's 50kg final to Japan's Yui Susaki after being pinned, leaving Sirohi with the silver medal and Susaki with a fifth world title.

Neelam grew up in Phenchari in western Uttar Pradesh, a village near Mathura where traditional wrestling akharas were fading. Wrestling was already part of her family: her grandfather and maternal uncle were wrestlers and her sister Chanchal also took up the sport, Coach Parvesh Rathi says. Her father was initially reluctant to let her pursue wrestling but her uncle convinced him to give her a chance. Once she began formal training, getting to the academy in Dwarka became a practical obstacle she solved by cycling 10 kilometres each way to practise.

In the 50kg final, the opening exchanges produced no score as neither wrestler could find a breakthrough for the first two minutes. Neelam, 26, defended resolutely and repeatedly denied Susaki an opening during that phase. As the first period was drawing to a close, Susaki targeted Neelam's left leg, executed a takedown and followed through to pin the Indian.

Yui Susaki entered the match as an established figure on the world stage, described in the report as a four-time world champion who had dominated the mat for years and rarely given opponents a chance. Her late-period attack in the final secured the victory and her fifth world title, according to the account.

India experienced further disappointment on the same day when Kajal Dhochak lost the women's 76kg final. Despite the two final defeats, having Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak both reach gold-medal bouts represented a first for Indian women's wrestling at a single senior World Championships.

Before the Astana tournament, Anshu Malik had been the only Indian woman to reach a senior World Championships final, and the appearances of Sirohi and Dhochak expanded that group at this edition of the event.