Sandeep of Rohtak made a resounding comeback after a three-year break, clinching the Greco Roman 60kg title at the Senior Open Ranking wrestling tournament held at Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya campus on Tuesday. The Armyman, who was injured and resumed training only in November 2025, fought six bouts over two days due to a delayed schedule but executed his game plan effectively to emerge champion.
In a tightly contested final, Sandeep edged past Delhi’s Harsh 3-1. He built a 3-0 lead in the first period after his opponent was penalized for passivity, then secured a takedown. He conceded one point in the second period due to his own passivity but relied on strong defense to maintain the lead until the final whistle.
“Yesterday, I fought two bouts and today four. It’s difficult to manage without food. My endurance helped,” said the former National champion, highlighting the challenges wrestlers face with an erratic schedule in hot and humid conditions.
In the 82kg category, Manjeet of Haryana secured a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Umesh.
In the women’s section, Olympian Sonam Malik (65kg), who returned after four years following left knee surgery, suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Ankita in the first round. Asian bronze medallist Hansika Lamba withdrew after sustaining an injury during a 57kg bout.
Results (finals):
Men: Greco Roman:
55kg: Sanjeev (Har) bt Sushil Kumar (Har) 9-0
60kg: Sandeep (Har) bt Harsh (Del) 3-1
63kg: Vijay (Har) bt Vinay (Mah) 9-0
67kg: Nishant (Har) bt Vikas (Chd) 7-2
72kg: Suraj (SSCB) bt Gaurav Duhoon (UP) by injury
77kg: Vikas (Har) bt Sunny Baisla (UP) 8-0
82kg: Manjeet (Har) bt Umesh (Har) 4-1
87kg: Tejpal (Mah) bt Sagar (Har) by injury
97kg: Ashish (Har) bt Abhimanu (Pun) by injury
130kg: Mehar Singh (Har) bt Vipin (Har) by injury
