India’s Manisha Bhanwala (62kg) and Antim Panghal (53kg) made their mark at the Asian Wrestling Championships 2025 in Amman, Jordan, with Bhanwala clinching gold and Panghal securing bronze in their respective categories on Friday.
According to Olympics.com, Bhanwala emerged victorious in the final, defeating the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ok J Kim 8-7, thereby securing India’s first gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling at the continental event since 2021.
The last Indian wrestlers to win gold in the competition were Vinesh Phogat and Sarita Mor in 2021.
The Indian grappler commenced her campaign with a dominant win over Kazakhstan’s Tynys Dubek via technical superiority.
She followed this with a commanding quarter-final performance, pinning down the Republic of Korea’s Hanbit Lee.
In the semi-finals, she overcame the defending champion, Kyrgyzstan’s Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy, with a 5-1 victory.
In a dramatic final, Bhanwala trailed 2-7 against Ok J Kim and seemed poised for a silver. However, in a remarkable last-minute turnaround, she overpowered her opponent to claim the gold.
Meanwhile, Antim Panghal, making her international return after the Paris 2024 Olympics, secured a bronze medal in the 53kg category.
She commenced her campaign with a hard-fought 10-6 victory against World Championships silver medallist Jin Zhang of the People’s Republic of China.
Also read: Manisha Bhanwala reaches Asian Championship final
However, she faced defeat in the semi-finals against Japan’s 55kg world champion Moe Kiyooka via technical superiority.
Determined to end her campaign with a medal, Panghal outclassed Chinese Taipei’s Meng Hsuan Hsieh via technical superiority to secure the bronze.
The two medals won on Friday took India’s tally at the ongoing championships to seven – one gold, one silver, and five bronze. Reetika Hooda, the reigning U23 world champion, bagged silver in the women’s freestyle 76kg category on Thursday.
Muskan (59kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), and Greco-Roman wrestlers Nitesh (97kg) and Sunil Kumar (87kg) had earlier clinched bronze medals.
However, three Indian wrestlers – Neha Sharma (57kg), Monika (65kg), and Jyoti Berwal (72kg) – failed to secure medals on the day.
Indian men’s freestyle wrestlers, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Deepak Punia, will compete in the remaining two days of the championship. — The Statesman.
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