Budapest, Hungary: India’s Hansika Lamba clinched the silver medal in the women’s 55kg freestyle category at the Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvan Memorial 2026, also known as the Budapest Ranking Series, in Hungary.
The 19-year-old wrestler finished runner-up after losing 5-0 to Ukraine’s Nataliia Klivchutska, a former junior European champion, in the final.
Hansika Continues Impressive International Run
Hansika began her campaign with an 8-4 victory over Türkiye’s Tuba Demir in the quarter-finals before defeating Germany’s Anastasia Blayvas 10-7 in a hard-fought semi-final after making a strong comeback.
The silver medal adds to an impressive season for the young Indian wrestler, who had earlier won bronze medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships and the Ulaanbaatar Open.
Priyanshi Misses Bronze, Rajat Claims Podium Finish
In the women’s 50kg category, Priyanshi Prajapat narrowly missed out on a bronze medal after losing 4-2 to Ecuador’s Jacqueline Mollocana, a former Pan-American champion.
Priyanshi had opened her campaign by pinning Katie Gomez before losing to Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Feng Ziqi of China in the quarter-finals. She fought back through the repechage round, defeating Canada’s Katie Dutchak, but fell short in the bronze-medal match.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 125kg category, Rajat Ruhal secured a bronze medal after American wrestler Mason Parris withdrew from the bronze-medal bout due to injury. Rajat had earlier defeated South Korea’s Gwanuk Kim 8-4 in the repechage round to stay in medal contention.
India’s Medal Tally Reaches Five
With Hansika’s silver and Rajat’s bronze, India’s medal tally at the Budapest Ranking Series 2026 has reached five medals.
Earlier in the tournament, Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s 57kg category, while Deepak (61kg) and Vishal Kaliramana (65kg) claimed bronze medals.
World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal is scheduled to compete in the women’s 53kg category on Saturday.
The Budapest Ranking Series is the fourth and final United World Wrestling (UWW) Ranking Series event of the 2026 season.