Manisha Bhanwala becomes India's first woman world wrestling champion with Astana gold

Manisha Bhanwala has won the senior World Wrestling Championships gold in Astana, the first Indian woman to do so. The 29-year-old from Haryana is only the second Indian wrestler to take a senior world title, after Sushil Kumar in 2010.

The final tested her nerve. She trailed American Abigail Nette 0-6 and came back to win 8-6. It was a late rally to a bout that looked gone, and it capped a run that began with bronze medals at the Asian Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024, followed by Asian gold in 2025.

For a morning briefing, the interesting part is the long game behind the result. Her coach Mandeep, who has trained her since she reached Rohtak in 2012, says a medal at the seniors or the Olympics typically takes 10 to 12 years of consistent work. Manisha's path fits that timeline. She also wrote the goal into her training diaries, ending each session's entry with the words 'World Champion'. Her 2025 plan set out a world title in 2025 and 2026, Olympic qualification in 2027 and then Olympic gold. One line read: 'Work, work, work, work and champion.'

Her story starts in Siwaha village, in a farming family. Her father Suresh put her into wrestling mainly to build fitness, and at around 16 she had little idea what a world championship involved. That changed once she reached national camps and saw senior wrestlers travel abroad and win medals. His sudden death in 2022 was a severe blow. According to Mandeep, she performed his last rites and left the same evening to join the Indian team for the Asian Championships. He says her focus sharpened after that.

There is a fair caveat. The 59kg category is not an Olympic weight and usually draws a thinner field than the Olympic divisions, where many top wrestlers concentrate. That does not make a world title easy to win, but it does call for caution when comparing this gold with Olympic-class results.

The next test is tougher. Manisha plans to return to the crowded 57kg class for the Los Angeles 2028 cycle. She says the four annual Ranking Series events in 2027 will be the priority, because they offer exposure and a ranking cushion that should make Olympic qualification smoother. Her diary already has the target written down: Olympic gold in 2028.

Read the original report at Deccan Herald.

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