Indian grappler Manisha Bhanwala won India's first gold medal at the 2025 Asian Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan, creating a historic victory for the country. Manisha won in the women's 62kg weight class, beating North Korea's Ok J Kim in a nail-biting 8-7 comeback win in the final on March 28, 2025.
Key Highlights:
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Gold Medal: Manisha won India its first women's freestyle wrestling gold since 2021.
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Final Match: Coming back 2-7 against Ok J Kim, she made a tremendous comeback to clinch 8-7.
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Road to Gold: Manisha overcame Kazakhstan's Tynys Dubek, South Korea's Hanbit Lee, and Kyrgyzstan's defending gold medalist Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy on the way to the final.
Manisha's victory is especially notable because she had earlier secured three consecutive bronze medals between 2022 and 2024. Her win takes India's medal count at the current championship to seven medals: one gold, one silver, and five bronze.
Antim Panghal also won a bronze in the 53kg weight category, again highlighting India's impressive showing. Indian freestyle wrestlers of the men's category will be competing in the days to come.
Sources: Olympics.com, Global Green News, March 29, 2025