Our Bureau
Astana
Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala created history by becoming the country’s first-ever woman to win a gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships. The 29-year-old clinched the title in the women’s 59kg category after defeating American wrestler Abigail Nette 8-6 in a thrilling final in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday. What made the victory even more remarkable was her comeback from a 0-6 deficit to secure the historic win.
Bhanwala showed tremendous determination after falling behind early in the contest. Nette initially took a six-point lead, putting the Indian wrestler under pressure. However, Manisha fought back with a series of attacking moves, gradually reducing the gap before taking an 8-6 lead. She maintained her advantage until the final whistle to secure the gold medal.
Her victory marks a major milestone for Indian wrestling and ends the country’s 16-year wait for a senior World Championships title. The last Indian to win a senior world title was Sushil Kumar, who claimed gold in the 66kg category at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships. With this achievement, Manisha has become only the second Indian wrestler overall to win a senior world championship gold.
Her triumph also capped a memorable campaign for the Indian women’s wrestling team. Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and Kajal Dhochak (76kg) had earlier reached the finals and won silver medals. Their achievements marked the first time two Indian women wrestlers competed in finals at the same edition of the senior World Championships.
Before this edition, Anshu Malik’s silver medal in the 57kg category at the 2021 World Championships was the only instance of an Indian woman reaching a senior world championship final.
Manisha’s historic victory has now taken Indian women’s wrestling to a new milestone, offering fresh encouragement to aspiring wrestlers across the country.