Manisha’s gold caps off best-ever display by Indian woman wrestlers at Worlds

Manisha Bhanwala produced a remarkable performance to create history at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships, becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the senior World Championships. The 29-year-old clinched the women’s 59kg title with a thrilling 8-6 victory over American wrestler Abigail Nette in the final in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday.

Manisha’s triumph also brought India’s most successful campaign in women’s wrestling at the World Championships to a close, with the contingent returning home with four medals — one gold, two silver and one bronze.

The victory was particularly memorable as Manisha staged a stunning comeback after trailing 0-6 against Nette. Despite the early setback, the Indian wrestler fought back with determination, drawing level before taking an 8-6 lead and holding on to secure the historic gold medal.

With this achievement, Manisha became only the second Indian wrestler to win a senior World Championships gold, after Sushil Kumar, who claimed the men’s 66kg title in 2010.

India records its best-ever medal haul in women’s wrestling

Manisha’s gold completed an unprecedented campaign for the Indian women’s wrestling team. For the first time in the competition’s 35-year history, three Indian women reached the gold medal bouts in a single edition, while the country secured four medals overall.

The other three medals came through Kajal Dhochak, Neelam Sirohi and Tanu Sharma.

• Gold: Manisha Bhanwala (59kg)
• Silver: Neelam Sirohi (50kg)
• Silver: Kajal Dhochak (76kg)
• Bronze: Tanu Sharma (72kg)

India’s previous best performance in women’s wrestling at the World Championships came in 2021, when the country won one silver and one bronze medal. The four-medal haul in 2026 surpassed that record.

Manisha scripts history with stunning comeback

The 59kg final against Abigail Nette proved to be a test of Manisha’s fighting spirit. The American wrestler established a commanding 6-0 advantage, putting the Indian under considerable pressure.

However, Manisha gradually turned the contest around with a series of attacking moves. She scored through a takedown and a gut-wrench to draw level before executing a decisive takedown to take an 8-6 lead.

She then successfully defended her advantage to secure India’s first-ever women’s gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships.

Manisha had also delivered an impressive performance in the semifinal, defeating Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva to book her place in the final.

Speaking after her historic victory, Manisha said she had been dreaming of becoming India’s first woman world champion since 2022. She described the achievement as the fulfilment of a long-standing ambition.

Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi add two silver medals

Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi also played crucial roles in India’s record-breaking campaign by reaching the finals in their respective weight categories.

Neelam secured silver in the women’s 50kg category, while Kajal finished runner-up in the 76kg category.

Kajal’s achievement was particularly significant as the 18-year-old became the first Indian wrestler to win a major international medal in the heavyweight category. Before reaching the senior World Championships podium, she had won the U20 World title and the U23 Asian title earlier in 2026.

Tanu Sharma completed India’s medal tally by winning bronze in the 72kg category.

Strong response after Asian Games disappointment

India’s performance at the World Championships was also significant in the context of its recent showing at the Asian Games, where Antim Panghal was the country’s only woman medallist among the six wrestling categories.

Three of the four World Championships medallists — Kajal, Neelam and Tanu — had not competed at the Asian Games, while Manisha had participated but lost to Japan’s Akari Fujinami.

The performances of the relatively new faces highlighted the growing depth of India’s women’s wrestling programme.

Indian wrestling team’s high-performance director Ian Butler praised the athletes for bouncing back from the Asian Games disappointment. He rated the team’s performance eight out of 10, while noting that there was still room for improvement.

National coach Virender Dahiya also said he had expected the team to win four medals, adding that the wrestlers had executed their plans effectively on the mat.

A landmark moment for Indian women’s wrestling

Manisha’s historic gold and the team’s overall four-medal performance mark an important milestone for Indian wrestling. The campaign demonstrated that Indian women wrestlers can compete for the highest honours at the senior international level.

However, two of India’s four medals came in non-Olympic weight categories — 59kg and 72kg — making continued progress across Olympic weight divisions an important focus ahead of future competitions.

With Manisha becoming the country’s first women’s world champion and three other wrestlers joining her on the podium, the 2026 World Wrestling Championships will be remembered as a landmark edition for Indian women’s wrestling.