Sandeep (red) gave away one point in the second period due to his own passivity but relied on his strong defence to stay ahead till the end. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA

Sandeep of Rohtak returned from a three-year hiatus to make his mark by winning the Greco Roman 60kg title at the Senior Open Ranking wrestling tournament on the Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya campus on Tuesday.

An Armyman, who was injured and resumed his training in November 2025, fought six bouts over two days because of the delayed action but carried out his plans well to emerge as the champion.

In a keenly-fought final, he edged past Delhi lad Harsh 3-1. Sandeep gained a 3-0 lead in the first period by scoring because of his opponent’s passivity and then effected a takedown. He gave away one point in the second period due to his own passivity but relied on his strong defence to stay ahead till the end.

“Yesterday, I fought two bouts and today four. It’s difficult to manage without food. My endurance helped,” said former National champion Sandeep, reflecting the difficulty all the wrestlers face due to the erratic schedule in hot and humid conditions.

Manjeet secured a hard-fought 4-2 win over Umesh to win the 82kg crown.

In the women’s section, Olympian Sonam Malik (65kg), who went through a left knee surgery and made a comeback after four years, was stunned 3-2 by Ankita in the first round.

Asian bronze medallist Hansika Lamba withdrew after injuring herself during a 57kg bout.

Published on May 12, 2026