New Delhi, November 2026 : India finished its first-ever home Armwrestling World Championship on a high note, winning 59 medals, including nine gold, 19 silver and 31 bronze, at the 47th World Armwrestling and 28th World Para Armwrestling Championship 2026, which concluded in New Delhi on Friday.
The prestigious event, hosted in India for the first time, brought together more than 1,700 athletes, officials and supporters from over 60 countries. Russia emerged as the overall champion, followed by Kazakhstan in second place and Turkey in third.
India's medal tally included an impressive contribution from its para athletes, who secured 26 medals — two gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze — placing the country fifth in the para medal standings. Sub-junior, junior and youth competitors added 20 medals, comprising three gold, eight silver and nine bronze. Masters and grand masters accounted for 12 medals, including four gold, one silver and seven bronze. India also secured one bronze medal in the senior category.
Among the notable Indian performances, Jincymol Sebastian won gold in the Grand Master Women 80 kg category in both right-arm and left-arm competitions. Yogesh Choudhary and Shoukath VT also delivered strong performances, with each winning right-arm gold and left-arm bronze. In the senior finals, Madhura K N claimed bronze in the Women's 70 kg right-arm category.
At the international level, six athletes achieved the distinction of winning senior gold medals with both arms. They were Melek Celik and Esra Kiraz of Turkey, Ulbossyn Elmurat and Yerdualet Nurmakhan of Kazakhstan, and Irina Driaeva and Tengizi Natsvlishvili of Georgia.
The championship, held from October 29 to November 6, was organised by the People's Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) under the aegis of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF).
The closing ceremony took place at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi on Friday. It was attended by H.E. Néstor Gabriel Baltodano Vargas, Ambassador of Costa Rica; H.E. Sena Latif, Ambassador of Romania to India; and H.E. Vakhtang Jaoshvili, Ambassador of Georgia to India.
Charles Osei Asibey, President of the Armwrestling Federation of Africa and Vice President of WAF, praised India's hosting arrangements, hospitality and enthusiastic audience. He said the championship had set a new standard that would be remembered across continents.
Preeti Jhangiani, President of PAFI, Vice President of AAF and Co-founder of Pro Panja League, said the event had brought the international armwrestling community together and described India's medal-winning performance as a proud moment for the country. She credited the athletes, coaches and officials for their contribution to the sport.
Pro Panja League Co-founder Parvinn Dabass said Indian athletes had demonstrated their potential on the global stage in front of a home crowd. He described hosting the championship as a milestone for armwrestling in India.
The World Armwrestling Championship will move to Canada next year. Meanwhile, India's domestic armwrestling calendar will continue with the Pro Panja League Poonawalla Gold Edition II in Pune on November 28, 2026. The event will feature World Championship medallists Yogesh Choudhary, Harkomal Singh Gill and Aabhas Rana.
