New Delhi: Antim Panghal seems to have turned a corner after her disappointing exit from the Paris Olympics. At the international ranking series in Budapest, Antim was back to her feisty best, dominating bouts with flair and confidence.
It was her second gold at a ranking series this year, having won at the Ulaanbaatar Open in May. Her performance at the ongoing Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial came against some tough opponents that included Zeynep Yetgil of Turkey, who stunned her in the Olympics first round. Antim demolished Zeynep 10-0 in Budapest. In the semi-finals, she crushed Felicity Taylor of USA by the same margin. The 53kg final against Natalia Malysheva was exciting, but the 20-year-old showed good control to win 7-4.
On a similar roll is Sujeet Kalkal, 23, who won gold in the 65kg class with a brilliant 5-1 result against Azerbaijan’s Ali Rahimzade in the final. Sujeet showed mental toughness as he upset established names like Paris Olympics medallist Islam Dudaev (11-0) and world championships medallist Vazgen Tevanyan (6-1). In June, Sujeet won gold in the U23 Asian Championships, a competition where the continent’s best upcoming talents converge. Sujeet won all his five bouts in Vietnam by technical superiority (10-0).
The recent showing of Antim and Sujeet brings fresh hope for Indian wrestling, especially in weight classes known for two of India’s best wrestlers – Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia. Antim, 21, since she emerged as a bright prospect with the world junior title in 2022 has often drawn comparisons with Vinesh for her confident approach and attacking style.
In 65kg, Bajrang’s Olympics medal in Tokyo and four world championships medals – the most by any Indian wrestler – speak for themselves. Nobody truly has come close to replacing him in the national team. Sujeet has made steady progress in international age-group tournaments in the last few years, but narrowly missed out on an Olympic berth. He is now giving consistent performances at the top level. In Budapest, he showed the hunger needed to win big titles. With the world championships in September, Antim and Sujeet are on the right track.
Antim is currently India’s top woman wrestler, but her attitude and discipline came under scrutiny after her Paris debacle. Much of the criticism stemmed from an off-field controversy involving her personal coaching team. She travelled to Paris with a four-member support staff but struggled due to the distractions, according to the national coaches.
Even at the start of this year, when the national camp started after almost two years, Antim wanted to travel with her physio and prepare on her own in Japan. The Wrestling Federation of India shot down the proposal as the national coaches wanted to monitor the fitness of every wrestler.
“She is still young and learning. There is no doubt she is very talented and hard working. Focus and discipline are important areas for growth and she needs that. She could have given much better results in Paris had her focus not shifted away from the mat,” said national women’s team coach Virender Dahiya.
Young athletes often place their trust in personal coaches and rely on their guidance. However, in many cases academy coaches misuse this and overlook the long-term development of their trainees. They try to control their careers even after they reach the elite level. The emerging pattern in Indian sport is coaches holding onto athletes for personal rewards.
Dahiya, who has guided Antim as a national coach since her junior days, had a conversation with Antim when she returned to the national camp, advising that she needs to make the most of her talent and come back stronger.
“She has realised that she needs to work towards bigger goals. The way she fought here in Budapest, I was very satisfied. It was like the old Antim. Her attacks were clean and she was finishing her attacks with points. If she can stay grounded and train with focus, she is a strong contender to win a medal in the world championships and at the 2028 Olympics.”
In the worlds, Antim would be looking to add to her bronze from 2023.
For Sujeet, the biggest applause came from Bajrang. “You have given a fabulous performance in 65kg and made the country proud,” he wrote on social media. Bajrang knows how crowded the weight class is at the top and that it takes time to find one’s feet. Sujeet is known for his technical prowess and now he has added power and endurance. In Budapest, he was quick to attack and score. He maintained a high pace and kept going at his opponents, skills Bajrang had mastered at his peak.
The world championships will be a crucial test for Antim and Sujeet.