Kajal joined Kuldeep’s Sports Academy in Sonipat at the age of 14 and has honed her skills there over the past four years. Her age, the coach believes, leaves plenty of room for improvement. “The best part is that she is still a teenager. Her body will grow, increasing her raw strength, and we will work on her defence,” Kuldeep said.

Kajal was leading on criteria with the score tied at 4-4 and just 30 seconds remaining when a defensive lapse allowed the experienced Ukrainian to execute a takedown and score four points. Kajal managed a takedown of her own with 13 seconds left, but it was too late to turn the bout around.

While Kuldeep was visibly disappointed by the defeat, he had no hesitation in calling it one of the biggest achievements of his academy. “It is one of the biggest results for me and my academy. An 18-year-old heavyweight medallist from India in her debut season has a nice ring to it,” he said.

Developing a heavyweight wrestler

For much of this century, Indian wrestlers in the lightweight and middleweight categories have led the country’s charge on the global stage, accounting for its major Olympic and World Championships medals. While Indian men have also enjoyed considerable success, women wrestlers have traditionally excelled in the lower weight categories. “There are many reasons, but one of the biggest is the lack of sparring partners. I have three or four kids in the 76kg category, and they keep competing against each other,” Kuldeep said.

Other heavyweight wrestlers, including Priya Malik and Olympian Reetika Hooda, have voiced similar concerns. The shortage of competition at home meant Kajal had to test herself across the U20, U23 and senior levels this year.

Before losing in the final, Kajal had won 22 consecutive international bouts. Her season included gold medals at the U20 World Championships, U20 Asian Championships and U23 Asian Championships, as well as at the Budapest and Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series. She also competed in the Pro Wrestling League and trials for international competitions. “Usually, wrestlers don’t compete this much, but we wanted Kajal to learn as much as she could at the international level. Regular competition in her category is important because we don’t have much competition at the national level,” said Ajay Malik, Kuldeep’s son, who also trains Kajal.

What next?

Kajal has enjoyed one of the most impressive debut seasons by an Indian wrestler at the senior level. Yet, Kuldeep believes there are still a few pieces missing from the puzzle.

“Three S are very important in wrestling: speed, strength and strategy. Today, Kajal wrestled with her body but not with her mind,” he said. “I see this as a massive learning curve for her. Throughout this campaign, Kajal displayed her potential. I think one more season at the senior level and you have a wrestler ready for the Olympics,” added Kuldeep, whose academy has also produced Asian Games medallist Sonam Malik and Asian Championships medallist Meenakshi Goyat.

Once Kajal returns, the coach and wrestler will work on strengthening her defence and fine-tuning her standing wrestling. “Kajal needs to improve her leg defence. She stands upright, which gives her opponents an opening. She needs to bend a little so that they don’t get an angle to attack her legs. These are the finer details we need to work on,” Kuldeep said.

The coach also hopes Kajal’s medal will encourage more Indian girls to take up the heavyweight categories, helping address the shortage of competition. “A medal at the World Championships can certainly push more kids to take up this category, and we can look at having more competition. The reason India is good in the lower categories is the competition, and I think Kajal’s medal might just provide that push,” he said.

The defeat in the final may have denied Kajal a golden finish, but her breakthrough season has established her as one of India’s most promising wrestlers, with the potential to make an impact at the highest level.