Antim Panghal Wins Silver as Aman Sehrawat Clinches Gold at Asian Games 2026

Nagoya, Oct 3: India's wrestler Antim Panghal secured the silver medal in the women's 53kg category at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya. Panghal was defeated by Japan's Moe Kiyooka, ranked 19th in the UWW, by a score of 1-9.

This achievement marks India's first silver medal in the women's 53 kg wrestling event at the Asian Games, with Panghal having won bronze in the 2022 edition. This medal contributed to India's overall tally of 84 medals at the Games, comprising 20 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

In other wrestling events, Deepak Punia secured a bronze medal for India in the men's 97kg freestyle category after defeating Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1. Punia's medal is India's first in the category at the Asian Games since Bhim Singh won bronze in 1966.

Sagar Jaglan, meanwhile, missed out on a medal in the men's 74kg freestyle category after suffering a defeat to Kazakhstan's three-time world medallist Nurkozha Kaipanov in the bronze-medal bout. Kaipanov pinned Jaglan within 30 seconds to seal the victory.

Aman Sehrawat clinched gold in the men's 57kg freestyle category after overcoming North Korea's Chong Song Han in a closely fought final. Sehrawat started cautiously, defending Han's attacks and conceding a point for passivity before opening his account with a takedown. A second takedown gave him a 4-1 lead at the break.

Han fought back strongly in the second period despite appearing to struggle with a knee injury, scoring six points in quick succession to move 7-6 ahead. Sehrawat responded with a crucial four-point move, combining a takedown and roll, to regain the lead at 10-7. He then added another point after Han's unsuccessful challenge to secure the gold medal.

The victory gave India its second wrestling gold of the Games, following Sujeet Kalkal's triumph on October 2. Sehrawat's performance was marked by disciplined defence and effective attacking wrestling, particularly when he needed to regain control during the final stages.

India's medal tally also featured gold medals for Kumkum Mohod, Pranavi Urs and the men's cricket team. Pranavi Urs, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar won silver in the women's team golf event, while Neeraj Chauhan claimed bronze in the men's individual recurve archery event.