Antim Panghal Makes History with Bronze at World Wrestling Championships

Historic Achievement for Indian Wrestling

On September 18, in Zagreb, Croatia, Olympian Antim Panghal clinched India's inaugural medal at the World Wrestling Championships, securing a bronze in the women's 53 kg category.

In a remarkable performance, Antim triumphed over Sweden's two-time European champion Jonna Malmgren with a score of 9-1, etching her name in the annals of Indian wrestling history. She joins Vinesh Phogat as the only Indian wrestler to earn multiple medals at the World Championships, according to Olympics.com.

Previously, Antim had also won a bronze medal in 2023 at Belgrade, defeating the same opponent with a more commanding score of 16-6 through technical superiority.

Indian women wrestlers have consistently brought home at least one medal in the last three editions of the World Championships.

Antim's journey in this championship began with a dominant 10-0 victory against Spain's Carla Jaume Soler in the pre-quarterfinals. She then faced a nail-biting quarterfinal against China's Zhang Jin, winning narrowly with a score of 9-8, before being defeated by Lucia Yepez of Ecuador, the silver medalist from the Paris 2024 Olympics, in the semifinals.

In contrast, Asian Champion Manisha Bhanwala was unable to secure a bronze in the women's 62 kg freestyle wrestling, losing 9-0 to Bulgaria's Bilyana Dudova in her repechage round.

Unfortunately, India's Greco-Roman wrestlers faced challenges, with none of the four competitors winning their matches. Anil Mor, competing in the 55 kg weight class, lost 8-0 to Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, a four-time world champion and current world No. 1. Aman, representing India in the men's 77 kg category, was defeated 8-0 by Japan's Olympic champion Nao Kusaka in the round of 32.

In the men's 82 kg division, Rahul managed to score a point but ultimately lost 7-1 to Kazakhstan's Almir Tolebayev in the qualification round. Sonu also faced defeat in the qualification stages of the 130 kg category against Olympian Marko Koscevic of Croatia.

A total of 30 gold medals are available across men's freestyle, women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman events.