Manisha Bhanwala Creates History, Becomes First Indian Woman to Win Wrestling World Championships Gold

New Delhi, Oct 30: Manisha Bhanwala on Friday (October 30) scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at the Wrestling World Championships in Astana.

The 29-year-old produced a remarkable comeback to defeat USA's Abigail Nette 8-6 in the women's 59kg final at the Astana Worlds, recovering from a 0-6 deficit to clinch the title.

Trailing by six points, Manisha showed tremendous composure and fighting spirit to turn the contest around against the Pan American champion. Her victory marks a landmark moment for Indian wrestling, as she becomes only the second Indian wrestler to win a world championship gold after Sushil Kumar. The triumph also underlines India's growing presence in international women's wrestling.

Manisha's historic achievement adds another major milestone to her career and gives Indian wrestling a new world champion. Her stunning fightback from the brink of defeat to the top of the podium will be remembered as one of the defining moments of the championships. Manisha hails from Haryana's Rohtak district and trains at Chhotu Ram Akhada.

Manisha has steadily established herself among India's leading women wrestlers through a series of impressive performances on the international stage. She won gold in the 60kg category at the 2016 South Asian Games and added three consecutive bronze medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She returned to the top of the podium at the 2025 Asian Championships, winning gold in the 62kg category.

Sushil Kumar became India's first-ever senior World Wrestling Championships gold medallist on September 12, 2010, when he defeated Russia's Alan Gogaev in the men's 66kg freestyle final in Moscow. His triumph came 16 years before Manisha's historic achievement and made him the first Indian wrestler to win a senior world title.

Manisha's triumph follows a historic campaign by Indian women wrestlers at the 2026 World Championships. Indian women have won four medals at the competition this year, capping off a stellar campaign.

Before Manisha's gold-medal victory, Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and Kajal Dhochak (76kg) had won silver medals, marking the first time India had two women wrestlers competing in gold-medal bouts at the same edition. Tanu Sharma won a bronze medal in the 72kg category.

Neelam lost to Japan's Yui Susaki, while Kajal went down 8-6 to Ukraine's Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Manisha has now taken that achievement a step further by becoming India's first-ever women's world champion.