Key Points
Manisha Bhanwala wins India's first women's freestyle gold since 2021
Antim Panghal returns with bronze after Paris Olympics
India's medal tally reaches 7 at championships
Manisha overcame 2-7 deficit in final for dramatic win
Manisha Bhanwala defeated the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Ok J Kim 8-7 in the final to secure India's first women's freestyle wrestling gold medal at the continental meet since 2021.
Vinesh Phogat and Sarita Mor won their respective categories at the 2021 edition. Manisha began her medal hunt with a win over Kazakhstan's Tynys Dubek via technical superiority.
The Indian wrestler pinned down the Republic of Korea's Hanbit Lee in the quarterfinals before accounting for Kyrgyzstan's Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy, the defending champion, in the quarterfinals by a 5-1 scoreline.
Manisha, who had won three consecutive bronze medals at the Asian Championships from 2022 to 2024, seemed destined for a silver this time around as she was trailing 2-7 against Ok J Kim.
However, she upgraded herself to gold at the 11th hour after turning the tables in spectacular fashion.
Meanwhile, Antim Panghal marked her return to international competition since the Paris 2024 Olympics with a bronze in the 53kg division.
Antim Panghal started her campaign with a 10-6 victory over World Championships silver medallist Jin Zhang of the People's Republic of China but lost to 55kg world champion Moe Kiyooka of Japan via technical superiority in the semi-finals.
Antim Panghal then defeated Chinese Taipei's Meng Hsuan Hsieh via technical superiority to secure her bronze.
The two medals on Friday took India's tally at the ongoing championships to seven medals - one gold, one silver and five bronze.
Reigning U23 world champion Reetika Hooda won a silver medal in the women's freestyle 76kg division on Thursday.
Muskan (women's 59kg), Mansi Lather (women's 68kg) and Greco-Roman wrestlers Nitesh (97kg) and Sunil Kumar (87kg) had won bronze medals earlier in the competition.
The remaining three Indian wrestlers - Neha Sharma (57kg), Monika (65kg) and Jyoti Berwal (72kg) - in action on the day returned empty-handed.
Indian men's freestyle wrestlers, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Deepak Punia, will be in action during the next two days of the continental meet.
Comments:
Rahul K.
What an incredible comeback by Manisha! That final match had me on the edge of my seat. So proud of our wrestlers 🇮🇳
Priya M.
Antim's bronze is impressive considering she just returned from Olympics. The future looks bright for Indian wrestling!
Vikram S.
While the medals are great, we need to address why some wrestlers returned empty-handed. The federation should analyze these performances.
Anjali P.
Manisha's journey from three bronzes to gold shows such determination! Her story should inspire young athletes everywhere 💪
Arjun T.
That 62kg final was pure drama! From almost losing to winning gold - Manisha proved why wrestling is called the toughest sport.
