New Delhi, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian wrestler Antim Panghal expressed disappointment at missing out on gold in the women’s 53kg final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games but said she was proud to have won a silver medal for the country after a strong campaign.
Antim lost the title bout to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka, the 2024 World Championships gold medallist in the 55kg category. The silver marked an improvement on the bronze medal Antim won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
“Of course, I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t win gold, but I’m still very proud to have won a silver medal for India at the Asian Games. Every athlete dreams of winning a medal for the country, and to be able to do that on this stage means a lot to me,” Antim said.
The Haryana-born wrestler said her journey had involved intense training, sacrifices and challenging moments. She expressed gratitude to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the Inspire Institute of Sport and Parth Jindal for their support and guidance throughout her preparation.
Antim added that she would use the experience to learn from the final defeat and work towards returning stronger in future competitions.
The 21-year-old was the only Indian woman wrestler to win a medal at the Games, while five other medals were secured by male grapplers.
Antim had produced an impressive run to reach the final, beginning with a commanding 9-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek. She then defeated Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova 8-0 in the quarterfinals before overcoming China’s Jin Zhang 6-1 in the semifinals.
After conceding the opening point against Zhang, Antim responded with six consecutive points to seal her place in the gold-medal bout.
Her qualification for the final also placed her among a select group of Indian women wrestlers. She became only the third Indian woman, after Geetika Jakhar and Vinesh Phogat, to reach an Asian Games wrestling final.
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