As a 20-year-old, Tanu Sharma took the mat against Precious Bell of USA in the bronze medal match of 72 kg at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, more than 3000 km away her father Virender Sharma paced up and down in his home at Bhaklana village of Hansi District, Haryana.
Sharma, a Sanskrit teacher at a Government school, never watches his daughter play due to nervousness. When his family shouted in joy after Tanu beat Bell 9-5 to win a first-ever bronze medal in the category at World Championships, that is when Virender was relieved.
“I never watch my daughter’s game. It makes me nervous,” Virender told The Indian Express. His elder daughter came running to tell him the good news. “Papa always watches the replay and that too when she wins. If she loses, he can’t watch it,” Tanu’s sister Priyanka quipped.
Tanu, who was playing in her debut Senior World Championships, capped off a great debut year at the senior level with a bronze in her first major international tournament. Earlier this year, she had won the silver medal at the U20 World Championships.
Strong and tough kid
Tanu comes from a family of academics with her father being a teacher and her elder sister also studying B.Ed to become a teacher but Tanu was interested in sports since she was a toddler.
“She was strong as a toddler. There was a scary incident when she was in third standard. A (girl) dog attacked her but she fought back and chased her. She told us later and revealed she was bitten in the process. We took her to hospital and all but also realized that she is strong,” said Virender.
Her uncle Narendra Fauji wanted Tanu to become a wrestler after seeing her physique and interest in doing sports. “It was her uncle who pushed her. After the dog incident, he convinced us to let her do the wrestling,” Virender added further.
But being a teacher, Virender wanted a setup for her where she can study along with doing wrestling. In the process he stumbled upon Altius Public School & Wrestling Academy which combined Wrestling training under coach Sanjay Sihag along with the traditional academics.
“Tanu joined us at the age of 14 in class eight. When she came here, it was her dedication to the sport that stood out. She studied the game after her training by watching bouts of senior wrestlers,” Sanjay told this paper.
Tanu, who competes in 72 kg at the moment, has had a physique for heavyweight categories since she joined the academy. “She has a good height. Currently, she stands at 5 feet 8 inches and her body is lean. So, when she started bulking up and gained muscle mass, it gave her the power to compete in the heavier categories. She already possessed speed and with better conditioning, she can be a world class 68 or 72 kg wrestler,” Sanjay explained.
Good senior run
2026 World Championships is the first-ever senior tournament Tanu has played in and to win a bronze medal on Worlds debut is no mean feat. Sanjay attributes this to her mentality and smartness.
“Tanu is a smart wrestler. Education is extremely important for wrestlers as it helps in improving the game intelligence. Tanu is someone who not only uses her strength but her brain also,” said Sanjay.
She lost her first game to eventual finalist Wiktoria Choluj of Poland. She defeated reigning African champion Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia in the repechage before taking down reigning Pan American champion Bell in the bronze medal match.
“In general, Tanu is an emotional person. When she called me after winning the medal, she was crying. However, it helps her also, especially when she takes a loss to her heart. After losing in the first round, she took it seriously and didn’t repeat her mistakes today,” Sanjay said.
With India’s first-ever Worlds medal of 72 kg category in her kitty, Tanu has become part of the historic performance by the women’s wrestling team at the World Championships. Including Tanu’s medal, India has won four medals in women’s wrestling with Kajal Dhochak (76 kg) and Neelam Sirohi (50 kg) winning silver medals yesterday and Manisha Bhanwala ensuring a silver at least, and gold possibly.
The 20-year-old’s medal means that India has surpassed the previous best performance of one silver and one bronze at the 2021 World Championships.