New Delhi, 05 February (H.S.): India launched impressively at the ongoing Zagreb Ranking Series wrestling tournament, securing one gold, one silver, and one bronze on Wednesday, the first day of men's freestyle events, to assert a strong presence on the international ranking circuit.

Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat delivered India's first major result with a silver in the 61kg category. He notched technical superiorities in his opening bouts: a 10-0 win over Georgia's Giorgi GoniaSvili in the first, followed by a 12-2 triumph against Iran's Reza Momenijoozadeh in the second.

However, in the third round, Aman fell to America's Austin De-Santo by a 0-8 fall, handing the American the gold.Sujit Kalkal provided India's lone gold of the day, clinching the men's 65kg title with a stellar performance that boosted team morale and earned crucial international ranking points right from the tournament's outset.

In the 70kg division, Abhimanyu Mandwal bolstered India's tally with bronze. He dominated his quarterfinal against America's Tyler Kasc with a 10-0 technical superiority but lost the semifinal 0-10 to Iran's Sina Khallili. Rebounding in the bronze-medal bout, he defeated America's Ian Parker 6-3 to secure the podium finish.

Meanwhile, Mukul Dahiya missed bronze in the 86kg category, falling 5-6 in a razor-thin bronze-medal wrestle against Iran's Ali Savadkouhi after a valiant effort.Overall, Indian wrestlers impressed on the first day of the Zagreb Ranking Series, with expectations high for even stronger outcomes in upcoming bouts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar