Manisha Bhanwala scripts history, wins India's first women's gold at Wrestling World Championships

Manisha Bhanwala made history on Friday (Oct 30) by becoming the first Indian woman to win gold at the Senior World Wrestling Championships, defeating USA's Abigail Elizabeth Nette in the 59kg final. Manisha staged a remarkable comeback after trailing 0-6 to secure an 8-6 victory in the title clash.

Before Manisha’s achievement, India had never won a gold medal in the women’s category at the World Championships. She also became the first Indian woman to achieve the feat after Anshu Malik fell short in the 2021 edition. Earlier in the ongoing championships, Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi had to settle for silver medals.

Manisha’s historic win helped India finish the women’s competition with four medals.

Apart from her gold, Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi won silver medals, while Tanu Sharma claimed bronze in the 72kg category.

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Meanwhile, Vicky Hooda’s campaign in the men’s freestyle 97kg category ended in the repechage round, as he suffered a 0-10 defeat against Iran’s Hassan Yazdani by technical superiority.

India’s challenge in the men’s freestyle 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg categories also ended in the preliminary rounds, with the wrestlers failing to reach Friday’s semi-finals.

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India finished the 2026 World Wrestling Championships with four medals, including one gold, two silver and one bronze.