New Delhi, 31 October (H.S.): India made an impressive start at the 47th World Armwrestling Championships and the 28th World Para-Armwrestling Championships 2026, winning 20 medals, including four gold, two silver and 14 bronze, during the first two days of the final competitions.

With this medal tally, India currently stands fourth in the overall standings, behind Russia, Kazakhstan and Türkiye. The championships are being held at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi, with more than 1,700 athletes from over 60 countries taking part.

Being hosted in India for the first time, the prestigious international event was inaugurated on Thursday by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and former Union Sports Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur.

The championships are being organised by the People's Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) under the aegis of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF). PAFI president Preeti Jhangiani and Pro Panja League co-founder Parvinn Dabass have played key roles in organising the event.

The inaugural ceremony was also attended by WAF President Assen Hadjitodorov, General Secretary Mircea Simionescu-Simicel, Asian Armwrestling Federation President Jeenbek Mukambetov and Armwrestling Australia President Phil Rasmussen.

On October 29, the opening day of the finals, Indian masters athletes won 12 medals, comprising four gold, one silver and seven bronze.

Jinsymol Sebastian emerged as one of India's standout performers, clinching two gold medals in the left- and right-arm events in the Grand Master Women's 80 kg category.

Yogesh Chaudhary secured gold in the right-arm event and bronze in the left-arm competition in the Master Women's 80 kg-plus category. Shaukat VT also claimed gold in the right-arm event and bronze in the left-arm competition in the Master Men's under-60 kg category.

In the Grand Master Women's 80 kg-plus right-arm event, Minimol Jose won silver, while Preetha C secured bronze.

Priya Payyan Kunhivettill in the Master Women's 80 kg category and Mini K in the Grand Master Women's 70 kg category won bronze medals in both arm events.

India's young armwrestlers continued the country's medal-winning run on October 30, adding eight medals in the left-arm events.

Jimmison Marwein claimed silver in the Youth Men's 65 kg category. Aabhas Rana in the Junior Boys' 90 kg-plus category, Laitansanga in the Youth Men's under-55 kg category, Ajay Kumar in the Youth Men's 60 kg category and Vishnupriya P. in the Youth Women's 80 kg category secured bronze medals.

In the Sub-Junior category, Aryan Singh won bronze in the Boys' under-45 kg division, while Yumnam Chingkhai Singh secured bronze in the Boys' 50 kg category. Shen Salish also claimed bronze in the Boys' 70 kg category.

The Pro Panja League has been providing Indian armwrestlers with a professional platform to showcase their talent and compete at a higher level.

World Championship medallists Yogesh Chaudhary and Abhas Rana are also set to participate in the second edition of the Pro Panja League Poonawalla Gold, scheduled to be held in Pune on November 28, 2026.

The tournament, being organised in collaboration with the Poonawalla Group, is expected to feature leading armwrestling competitors from India and abroad.

A total of 128 Indian athletes competed in 90 of the 101 final events, securing 154 placements across the competitions. Seventeen Indian competitors finished fourth in their respective categories.

Naveen Paul secured fourth place in both arm events in the Master Men's 110 kg category, while Mihsngewbha Rymbai achieved the same position in both events in the Grand Master Women's 80 kg category.

Indian athletes won medals across five age divisions, ranging from Sub-Junior to Grand Master, reflecting the expanding talent pool in the sport and the country's growing presence on the international armwrestling stage.

On the third day of the championships, Saturday, October 31, finals in the right-arm events will be held for boys, girls, men and women in the Sub-Junior, Junior and Youth categories. The competitions will be streamed live on Swen, the tournament's official broadcasting partner.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar