Manisha Bhanwala Creates History, Becomes First Indian Woman to Win Gold at Senior World Wrestling Championships
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New Delhi, October 31 : Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala created history on Friday by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships. She secured the historic victory in the 59 kg category after defeating USA's Abigail Elizabeth Nette 8-6 in a thrilling final.
Manisha staged an impressive comeback after trailing 0-6 in the title bout. Demonstrating determination and tactical skill, she overturned the deficit to register an 8-6 victory and claim the gold medal.
Her achievement marks a major milestone for Indian women's wrestling, as the country had never previously won a gold medal in the women's category at the Senior World Wrestling Championships.
Before Manisha's victory, Indian wrestlers had come close to the title but had settled for silver. Anshu Malik finished with a silver medal in 2021, while Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi also secured silver medals earlier in the 2026 edition.
Manisha's historic gold medal concluded a successful campaign for the Indian women's contingent, which finished the championship with four medals.
India’s First Woman Wrestling World Champion! 🇮🇳🥇
— Dept of Sports, Govt of India (@IndiaSports) October 30, 2026
Manisha Bhanwala makes a stunning comeback from 0-6 to defeat USA’s Abigail Nette 8-6 in the 59kg final, becoming the first Indian woman to win gold at the World Wrestling Championships.#Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/ypP1HmCjYz
Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi won silver medals, while Tanu Sharma secured bronze in the 72 kg category. Manisha's gold added to India's medal tally and marked a significant achievement for the country's women's wrestling programme.
In the men's freestyle competition, Vicky Hooda's campaign ended in the 97 kg repechage round after he faced Iran's Hassan Yazdani. Vicky lost the bout 0-10 by technical superiority.
India's campaigns in the men's freestyle 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg and 125 kg categories also concluded during the preliminary rounds, with the wrestlers failing to progress to Friday's semi-finals.