It took three attempts in the space of three days but Manisha Bhanwala finally ended India’s wait for a gold medal in the women’s category of the Wrestling World Championships.
The 29-year-old defeated Abigail Nette of the United States 8-6 in the 59 kg final to become only the second Indian wrestler after Sushil Kumar to become world champion.
With her gold medal, Manisha ensured that India recorded its best- ever medal haul in women’s wrestling with Kajal Dhochak (silver in 76 kg), Neelam Sirohi (silver in 50 kg) and Tanu Sharma (bronze in 72 kg) making it a total of four medals, surpassing the previous-best from the 2021 edition (one silver and a bronze).
For the first time in the 35-year history of the competition, Indian women wrestlers reached three finals and won four medals. Two came in Olympic weight categories (50 kg and 76 kg) and two in non-Olympic classes (59 kg and 72 kg). A woman World champion is the icing on the cake.
The performance is particularly significant given India’s showing at the recent Asian Games, where Antim Panghal was the country’s only woman medallist from six categories.
“I will rate this performance eight out of ten. I am proud of the fact that the girls bounced back from the Asian Games disappointment. I won’t say it is 10 on 10 because there is still room for improvement,” Ian Butler, high performance director of the Indian wrestling team, told The Indian Express.
With her gold medal, Manisha ensured that India recorded its best- ever medal haul in women’s wrestling. (UWW)
National coach Virender Dahiya, meanwhile, claimed he had anticipated a four-medal haul from the outset.
“I had that feeling since the start of the tournament. Our preparation was good and the girls executed the plan on the mat,” he said.
One of the factors behind India’s improved showing was the presence of relatively fresh faces in the team. Three of the four medallists – Kajal, Tanu and Neelam – had not competed at the Asian Games. Manisha had made the trip but lost to Japanese sensation Akari Fujinami.
For Kajal and Neelam, missing out on the Asian Games squad had been a disappointment. Both were determined to make the most of the opportunity at the World Championships.
“I was winning the Asian Games trial before I lost to Dipanshi. The loss stayed with me for a week and then I realised that I have a shot at the World Championships. So, when I was picked, I decided to make sure that I didn’t falter,” said Neelam, who won silver in the 50 kg category.
Another chance
Kajal’s failure to make the Asian Games team also gave her coach Kuldeep Malik an early opportunity to plan for the World Championships.
“When Kajal lost the trial for the Asian Games, the first thought that came to my mind was that I’ll prepare her for the World Championships,” Malik said. “The loss also fuelled her ambition. She immediately got back on the mat after the trials loss and started preparing for the Worlds.”
Since his arrival earlier this year, Butler has focused on changing the mindset of Indian wrestlers, urging them to approach international competition with greater self-belief.
“I don’t want Indian wrestlers to try to be the best. We have to be the best and that is the mindset I’m working on with these girls. I’m happy to see that the results are showing,” he said.
The emergence of 18-year-old Kajal, who won silver in the 76 kg category, was among the biggest highlights of the campaign. She became the first Indian to win a major medal in the heavyweight category, producing an impressive run that included a semi-final victory over three-time World Championships medallist Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. She eventually lost a close bout to two-time European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva of Ukraine.
Kajal has enjoyed a remarkable year on the circuit, winning the U20 World title and U23 Asian title before making the podium at the senior World Championships on her debut.
Butler believes her exposure to international competition was crucial to that progress.
“It is important to go out of India and compete more and more. Kajal did that this year and we can see how much experience she has gained. Her losses in the ranking series and the senior Asian Championships prepared her for this. So, it is important for Indian wrestlers to test themselves regularly against the best in the world,” he said.