New Delhi: Indian wrestler Vishvajit Ramchandra More wrote his name into the history books by becoming the first Indian to claim a Greco-Roman silver medal at the U23 World Championships. He finished second following a tightly contested 12-13 defeat against Georgia's Koba Karumidze in the men's 55kg gold medal match on Thursday. More had been on the verge of capturing the ultimate prize before his Georgian opponent managed to edge ahead during the final seconds of the bout.
Having already made history on Tuesday by becoming India's first-ever Greco-Roman finalist at the U23 level, More stands as the nation's sole practitioner of the discipline to earn two medals at the tournament, having previously collected a bronze.
More began his tournament journey with a hard-fought 10-8 victory over Mexico's Isaac Marin Mata. He then squared off against Iran's Armin Shamsipour, the reigning U20 world champion, in the quarter-finals. Execution of a crucial four-point throw propelled the Indian athlete to an 8-1 triumph, during which Shamsipour sustained an apparent shoulder injury.
Advancing to the semi-finals, More overcame Russia's Malik Gigiev 6-4 in another tense encounter. Tactical video challenges played a role for both competitors during the match, but More successfully maintained his advantage to secure a spot in the championship match. While a victory would have crowned him India's first-ever Greco-Roman gold medallist at the U23 event, Karumidze ultimately blocked that path after advancing past Kyrgyzstan's Barsbek Asankozhoev.
Meanwhile, the broader Indian delegation faced significant hurdles ahead of the competition in Las Vegas. Visa rejections impacted the team's preparations, leaving nine athletes across the Greco-Roman and women's categories unable to travel after immigration officials cited reasons related to their age under twenty and lack of full-time employment.