Manisha Bhanwala becomes India's first female wrestling world champion

Dramatic comeback from 0-6 deficit against Abigail Nette

Bhanwala secured the 8-6 comeback victory against Abigail Nette in the final held in Astana. Reports described her performance as a display of extraordinary resilience and determination.

Abigail Nette took an early 6-0 lead in the first period after scoring a four-point takedown and receiving a caution. Bhanwala reduced the deficit to 6-5 by earning a push-out point before the end of the first period.

In the second period, Bhanwala launched a seven-point scoring burst that began with a takedown after she slipped behind Nette’s leg attack. The American corner challenged the takedown but lost, which awarded Bhanwala an additional point.

Bhanwala then placed Nette in a par terre position to execute a gut-wrench, which tied the match score at 6-6. She followed this with a two-point move to take an 8-6 lead and defended it for the final 27 seconds to win. This performance resulted in her overturning a six-point deficit to win the championship match.

India ends 16-year wait for senior world wrestling title

Bhanwala’s victory concludes a 16-year wait for an Indian senior world wrestling champion, according to The Times of India. She is the first Indian woman to secure a senior world title in the sport.

Rediff reported that she is only the second Indian overall to win gold at the World Championships. The only previous titleholder was Sushil Kumar in the men’s 66kg division in 2010.

Unprecedented success for Indian women with three finalists

The Indian women’s wrestling team reached three gold-medal bouts during the Astana event, as reported by Rediff. This marked the first time three Indian women competed in finals during a single edition of the World Championships.

Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak each earned silver medals at the tournament. Rediff noted that Sirohi and Dhochak accepted their silver medals on Thursday, one day prior to Bhanwala’s final match.

The Times of India reported that this event was the first occasion two Indian women reached finals in a single senior World Championships edition.

Anshu Malik was the only previous female medalist

Prior to this tournament, the only Indian woman to win a medal at the senior World Championships was Anshu Malik. She earned a silver medal in the 57kg class at the 2021 event held in Oslo.

Personal journey from Jind to world stage

Manisha Bhanwala is 29 years old and competed in the non-Olympic 59kg category at this event. She comes from a farming family in Jind, Haryana, and began her sports journey after watching her brother, Rinku, play kabaddi.

Mamta Sihag, her sister-in-law, also wrestles. Throughout her career, Bhanwala has previously competed in the 57kg, 62kg, and 65kg weight categories.

Tribute to late father Suresh after gold medal win

After securing the gold, Bhanwala displayed a white T-shirt featuring photographs of her parents to the spectators. She leapt joyfully, bowed, and pressed a kiss to the mat, calling the victory the "best memory of her life".

Her father, Suresh, died in 2022 from a cardiac arrest in his sleep after attending a jagran the previous night.

Career progression through Asian Championships

Following her father's death, her family encouraged her to travel to Mongolia for the Asian Championships, where she secured a bronze medal. She has earned three other Asian medals, including a gold medal last year.