Antim Panghal clinches bronze in gritty show, a tough day for Indian wrestlers at Asian Games
In a day filled with ups and downs for Indian wrestlers at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, teenage sensation Antim Panghal emerged as the shining star by securing a bronze medal. Panghal achieved this feat by defeating Tokyo Olympics medalist Bolortuya Bat-Ochir with a score of 3- 1. Her remarkable performance salvaged a day that saw other Indian wrestlers facing tough challenges.
The 19-year-old Panghal displayed remarkable resilience, bouncing back after a quarterfinal loss to two-time Japanese world champion Akari Fujinami. In the women’s 53kg bronze playoff, she managed to thwart the Mongolian wrestler’s attacks effectively, securing the vital win, Panghal’s bronze medal came as a much-needed boost for the Indian contingent, especially after Narinder Cheema (Greco-Roman 97kg), Naveen (Greco-Roman 130kg), and Pooja Gehlot (women’s 50kg) faced early exits.
Pooja Gehlot had a challenging bout in the bronze medal match, where she was defeated 2-9 by Aktenge Keunimjaeva, the Asian championship bronze medalist, Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 57kg) also had high expectations, but she lost her bronze playoff match ‘by fall’ to Uzbekistan’s Laylokhon Sobirova, who secured victory in just 70 seconds.
Antim Panghal’s journey to the Asian Games was marked by her excellent form, having previously won a bronze medal at the world championships. Her bronze at the Asian Games marks only the second wrestling medal for India in this edition of the competition. She took control of the match by establishing a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on the passivity of her Mongolian opponent and executing a brilliant counter-attack.
Despite facing strong challenges, Antim successfully defended against Bolortuya’s single-leg attacks, securing her well-deserved victory. Her inclusion in the Indian contingent came after Vinesh Phogat withdrew due to injury, with Antim initially challenging her compatriot to a trial bout. However, Vinesh later had to undergo knee surgery, providing Antim with an opportunity to compete.
In earlier matches, Antim Panghal secured an easy 11-0 victory against Uzbekistan’s Jasmina Immaeva, setting the stage for her quarterfinal showdown against the Japanese world champion
In other bouts, Narinder Cheema narrowly lost his quarterfinal with a score of 1-3 against Korea’s Lee Seyeol, while Mansi Ahlawat faced a tough challenge in her last-eight round, losing 2-5 to Japan’s Sakurai Tsugumi Greco-Roman wrestler Naveen also experienced disappointment, falling short in his quarterfinal contest with a score of 0-3 against Chinese opponent Meng Lingzhe. The next day promises more action with Bajrang Punia (65kg) and the immensely talented Aman Sehrawat (56kg) taking the stage in their respective categories.
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