Indian wrestler Vishvajit More has reached a milestone for the country’s Greco-Roman wrestling programme, winning silver in the men’s 55kg category at the 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas.
The 22-year-old from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, narrowly missed the gold medal after losing 13-12 to Georgia’s Koba Karumidze in the final. More’s achievement nevertheless made him the first Indian to reach a Greco-Roman final at the U23 World Championships, according to reports published on October 15 and 16.
The medal also extends his remarkable record at the tournament. More won bronze in both 2024 and 2025 before securing silver at the 2026 edition, giving him three consecutive medals in the competition.
A journey that began in Maharashtra
More grew up in Sarwade village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, in a family that farms and sells vegetables. His father, Ramchandra More, sells the produce grown by the family, while his mother, Parvati, helps with agricultural work.
His introduction to wrestling came at an early age. According to The Indian Express, More began visiting a local akhada, a traditional wrestling training centre, when he was six.
What started as a childhood interest gradually developed into a serious sporting pursuit as he began winning medals. Supporting his ambitions required financial adjustments at home, particularly to meet the nutritional demands of competitive wrestling.
A turning point came in 2019, when More was selected for the Army Boys Company in Belgaum at the age of 15. The opportunity gave him access to structured training and a pathway towards competing at higher levels.
From training centre to international competition
More initially competed in the 48kg category and was unfamiliar with Greco-Roman wrestling when he entered the Army Boys Company. He subsequently learnt the discipline under coach Subedar Ranjit Mahadik.
Greco-Roman wrestling differs from freestyle wrestling because competitors cannot use attacks below the waist or use their legs to execute holds and trips. Upper-body control, throws and positional technique are central to the discipline.
More continued to develop through the junior age groups, earning medals at national competitions before progressing on the international stage. He later joined the Indian Army as a havildar and became part of its Mission Olympic Wing.
He currently trains at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, where he has access to specialist coaching and a competitive training environment.
Wins over Iran and Russia paved the way
More’s run to the final included victories against opponents from Iran and Russia, countries with established wrestling traditions.
According to The Indian Express, he defeated Mexico’s Isaac Marin Mata 10-8, Iran’s Armin Shamsipour 8-1 and Russia’s Malik Gigiev 7-4 before reaching the title bout.
The final against Karumidze proved a closely fought contest. More trailed 5-2 at the break but fought back to take a 12-9 lead. Karumidze then mounted a late challenge, and the Georgian ultimately secured the victory by a single point.
The narrow defeat denied More the gold medal but did not diminish the significance of his run to the final.
Three consecutive medals for India
More’s silver follows bronze medals at the 2024 and 2025 U23 World Wrestling Championships. His consistency across the three editions is particularly notable because he was India’s only Greco-Roman medallist at the tournament in each of those years, according to The Indian Express.
The result offers a notable achievement for Indian wrestling beyond the country’s more widely followed freestyle events. Greco-Roman wrestling demands a different technical approach, placing particular emphasis on upper-body strength, balance, positioning and the ability to execute throws.
More’s progress from village-level training to a world championship final also reflects the role that structured sports programmes can play in developing athletes from different backgrounds.
His latest medal puts him among the Indian wrestlers to have achieved a podium finish at three consecutive editions of the U23 world competition. The next stage of his career will be to build on that record as he moves towards senior-level international wrestling.
Q1. Who is Vishvajit More?
Vishvajit More is an Indian Greco-Roman wrestler from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, who won silver in the men’s 55kg category at the 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships.
Q2. Which medal did Vishvajit More win in 2026?
He won silver after losing the final to Georgia’s Koba Karumidze by 13-12.
Q3. Where were the 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships held?
The competition took place in Las Vegas, United States.
Q4. What is historic about Vishvajit More’s achievement?
He became the first Indian wrestler to reach a Greco-Roman final at the U23 World Wrestling Championships.
Q5. How many consecutive U23 World Championship medals has More won?
He has won three consecutive medals: bronze in 2024, bronze in 2025 and silver in 2026.
Q6. Where is Vishvajit More from?
More comes from Sarwade village in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.
Q7. Where does Vishvajit More train?
He trains at the Army Sports Institute in Pune and is associated with the Indian Army’s Mission Olympic Wing.
