Indian contingent achieves top-five finish three years ahead of schedule

New Delhi, November 10 (HS): India delivered a historic performance at the 47th World Armwrestling and 28th World Para Armwrestling Championships 2026, securing fifth place among 65 participating nations. Competing on home soil in New Delhi, Indian athletes won a total of 59 medals, comprising nine gold, 19 silver and 31 bronze.

The People’s Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) and the Pro Panja League had set a target of securing a place among the top 10 nations in 2026 and breaking into the top five within the following three years. Indian athletes, however, achieved the ambitious milestone three years ahead of schedule.

Para athletes played a significant role in India’s impressive performance, contributing 26 medals, including two gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze. With this tally, India secured fifth position in the para category medal standings.

Athletes in the sub-junior, junior and youth categories collectively won 20 medals, comprising three gold, eight silver and nine bronze. In the masters and grand masters categories, Indian competitors secured 12 medals, including four gold, one silver and seven bronze. The senior category contributed one bronze medal.

Among the standout performers, Jincymol Sebastian won gold medals with both arms in the Grand Master Women’s 80 kg category. Yogesh Choudhary and Shoukath VT also delivered impressive performances, winning gold in the right-arm events and bronze in the left-arm competitions. In the Senior Women’s 70 kg category, Madhura K N claimed bronze in the right-arm event.

India Hosts World Championship for the First Time

Pro Panja League co-founders Preeti Jhangiani and Parvinn Dabass have been working to professionalise armwrestling in India and establish a structured platform that enables athletes to progress from grassroots competitions to the international stage.

Under the leadership of Preeti Jhangiani, President of PAFI and Vice-President of the Asian Armwrestling Federation, India hosted the World Championship for the first time. The event provided Indian athletes with an opportunity to compete against leading armwrestling nations, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Georgia, Ghana and Australia.

Pro Panja League co-founder Parvinn Dabass said, “Securing fifth place in the world is an achievement that belongs to two outstanding groups of athletes — our para armwrestlers and our able-bodied competitors. Our para athletes contributed nearly half of India’s total medal tally and played a crucial role in securing fifth position for the country in both the para and able-bodied standings. Our junior, masters and senior athletes also displayed the same determination and fighting spirit in every contest.

“We had set ourselves the target of breaking into the world’s top five within three years, but these athletes have accomplished it in the very first year. They have demonstrated that India possesses formidable talent across every category of armwrestling.”

Preeti Jhangiani, President of PAFI, Vice-President of the Asian Armwrestling Federation and co-founder of the Pro Panja League, said, “It was an honour for India to host the World Championship. Securing fifth position overall is a significant achievement and reflects the sustained efforts being made by the federation. This result has come considerably ahead of our target and highlights the depth of talent in the country across different age groups, as well as in para armwrestling. We remain committed to building on this achievement and ensuring that Indian athletes continue to deliver outstanding performances on the international stage.”

Canada to Host Next Edition in 2027

The next edition of the World Armwrestling Championship will be held in Canada in 2027. Meanwhile, the second edition of the Pro Panja League Poonawalla Gold competition is scheduled to take place in Pune on November 28. World Championship medallists Yogesh Choudhary, Harkomal Singh Gill and Aabhas Rana will also compete in the event.

The championship was organised by PAFI under the aegis of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF). The competition was held from October 29 to November 6 at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi, attracting more than 1,700 athletes, officials and delegates.

In the overall medal standings, Russia emerged as the champion, followed by Kazakhstan in second place and Türkiye in third.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar