World Wrestling Championships: Manisha Bhanwala A Win Away From Creating History

News sports other-sports World Wrestling Championships: Manisha Bhanwala A Win Away From Creating History

Last Updated:October 30, 2026, 12:55 IST

Manisha Bhanwala advanced to the women's 59kg final at the World Championships, keeping India's gold medal hopes alive.

Manisha Bhanwala gave Indian wrestling a major boost by storming into the women’s 59kg final with an impressive display on Thursday at the World Championships. The Indian wrestler won two of her bouts by fall and did not surrender a single point in her remaining contest, keeping the country’s hopes of securing an elusive world title firmly alive.

Manisha produced another commanding performance in the semifinals, overwhelming Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva. She built a 10-0 advantage before pinning her opponent to book a place in the gold medal contest, where she will face Pan American champion Abigail Elizabeth Nette.

Following silver-medal finishes by Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and Kajal Dhochak (76kg) a day earlier, Manisha became India’s third wrestler to qualify for a gold medal bout at this edition of the championships. Her achievement has given the country another chance to end its long wait for a world champion.

India also added another medal to its tally through Tanu, who defeated USA’s Precious Rosanna Bell 9-5 in the women’s 72kg bronze medal contest. The victory guaranteed India its best-ever medal haul at the tournament.

Until now, India’s finest performance at the championships had come in the 2012 edition, when Geeta and Babita Phogat won two bronze medals. With four medals now assured, India is on course to surpass that achievement.

Manisha’s decision to enter the non-Olympic 59kg category proved successful. Although she had previously competed in the 57kg and 62kg divisions, the Indian chose 59kg for this competition and delivered a series of dominant performances.

In the semifinal, she kept Shagayeva under control throughout the opening period, establishing a 3-0 lead. Her defensive discipline left the Kazakh wrestler struggling to find opportunities, with Shagayeva unable to register an attack.

Manisha delivered the decisive blow in the second period. Starting from an arm-locked position, she executed a turn and threw her opponent onto the mat to earn four points. She then maintained a firm hold on Shagayeva, securing the fall and completing a 10-0 victory.

Her route to the final had begun with a victory by fall over Canada’s Laurence Beauregard. She then comfortably defeated Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

The result is a significant comeback for Manisha after the disappointment of the Asian Games, where she had arrived expecting to win gold but returned without a medal.

“I was sure to win Asian Games but, as luck would have it, I lost to a rival despite wrestling well, and unfortunately, she also lost, so I returned empty-handed. I reached Rohtak on Monday morning and began training from that day itself to prepare for the World Championships," Manisha told news agency PTI.

“I had a very bad feeling after losing at the Asian Games. I had given trials in 59kg for the Worlds while I competed in 57kg at the Asian Games. This was because I was sure that I would win Asian Games gold and there would be felicitation functions due to which I wouldn’t have much time to keep preparing for 57kg," she said.

Despite the disappointment, Manisha quickly returned to training with the World Championships in mind. She also made it clear that the prospect of competing for a world title would not put her under additional pressure.

“I am not taking pressure of winning tomorrow. I will give my best as I always do. Wrestling is everything for me. I have not been to attend any family function; I don’t know what happens at my home during festivals. I just think about wrestling all the time.

“Years of hard work, blessings of my family and coaches have given me this result. We will try to make it better tomorrow," she added.

Manisha’s progress is backed by years of experience on the international circuit. She won the Asian Championships title last year after previously securing bronze medals in three editions of the continental tournament. She trains under coach Mandeep Singh at the Sir Chhotu Ram Akhara in Rohtak.

While Manisha enjoyed a memorable day on the mat, Sujeet Kalkal‘s campaign ended in disappointment. The Indian wrestler’s impressive 12-month winning run came to an end after he lost a dramatic men’s 65kg quarterfinal to Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev on criteria, with the score tied at 3-3.

Sujeet had collected seven titles during the previous year, including the U23 World Championships, the 2026 Asian Championships and the Asian Games. His defeat on Thursday was his first since he went down in the repechage round at last year’s World Championships in Zagreb.

The loss also brought his 24-match unbeaten streak to an end.

The result was particularly difficult to accept given his previous record against Kudiev. Sujeet had defeated the same wrestler in the Asian Games final, producing a remarkable recovery from a 2-9 deficit by scoring eight unanswered points to secure the gold medal.

However, Kudiev managed to reverse the outcome this time, with a controversial sequence in the closing stages ultimately deciding the contest.

Sujeet gave away the opening point after being penalised for passivity but responded with a takedown just five seconds before the first period ended to move ahead 2-1. Kudiev was subsequently penalised for passivity, allowing the Indian to increase his advantage to 3-1.

The contest turned chaotic in the final 30 seconds. Sujeet attempted a takedown close to the edge of the mat but could not put Kudiev in a dangerous position. The Tajik wrestler capitalised on the situation and countered with a takedown of his own.

Initially, the mat referee did not award Sujeet two points for his effort, although the chair umpire overturned that decision and awarded the Indian the points. Kudiev’s corner challenged the call, and the review went in their favour.

Sujeet’s two points were withdrawn, while Kudiev received two points for his takedown, bringing the score level at 3-3.

With only seconds remaining, Sujeet needed another scoring opportunity but could not break through Kudiev’s defence. The Tajik ultimately advanced on criteria, having scored the last point of the bout.

Earlier in the competition, Sujeet had looked in excellent form. He opened with a comprehensive 12-1 technical superiority victory over Switzerland’s Nino Leutert before defeating Belarus’ Islam Guseinov 4-0 to reach the quarterfinals.

Other Indian Wrestlers’ Results

Elsewhere, Srishti’s campaign in the women’s 68kg category came to an end after she lost her repechage bout against American wrestler Kennedy Blades.

In the women’s 55kg division, Ahilya Shinde began on a positive note, defeating Cuba’s Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia 8-1. However, she could not maintain her advantage against Turkey’s Tuba Demir. Despite leading 3-0, Ahilya eventually suffered a 6-9 defeat and was eliminated.

Vicky progressed to the quarterfinals in the men’s 97kg category after recording victories over Sarco Colmenarez (8-2) and Radu Letter (10-0). His run was halted by Japan’s Arash Yoshida, who secured a 12-2 technical superiority victory.

Vicky, however, remains in contention for a medal through the repechage route.

With PTI Inputs

About the Author

Feroz KhanPrincipal Correspondent

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience ...Read More

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