Astana, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala delivered an impressive performance to reach the 59kg final, while Tanu Sharma secured a bronze medal in the 72kg category at the Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.
Manisha assured India of at least a silver medal after defeating Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the semifinals. She will face the USA’s Abigail Elizabeth Nette in the gold medal bout on Friday.
Earlier in the competition, Manisha began her campaign with a convincing 6-2 victory over Canada’s Laurence Beauregard in the pre-quarterfinals.
In the 72kg category, Tanu earned a place on the podium with a hard-fought 9-5 win over the USA’s Precious Rosanna Bell in the bronze medal bout.
Meanwhile, Ahilya Shinde exited the tournament in the quarterfinals of the 55kg category. She opened her campaign with an 8-1 victory over Cuba’s Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia in the round of 16 but subsequently lost 6-9 to Türkiye’s Tuba Demir in the quarterfinals.
In men’s freestyle, Vicky Hooda kept his medal hopes alive in the 97kg category. Despite losing 2-12 to Japan’s Arash Yoshida by technical superiority in the quarterfinals, Vicky entered the repechage after the Japanese wrestler advanced to the final.
However, Sujeet Kalkal’s campaign in the 65kg division came to an end. Sujeet narrowly lost his quarterfinal bout against Abdulmazhid Kudiev, with the contest ending 3-3 and Kudiev advancing on criteria.
Earlier, Indian wrestlers Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi concluded their historic World Championships campaigns on Wednesday, winning two silver medals after finishing runners-up in their respective finals.
In the 76kg final, 18-year-old Kajal faced Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Making her senior World Championships debut after winning two U20 world titles, Kajal put up a spirited fight but lost the closely contested bout 6-8 to settle for silver.
In the 50kg final, 26-year-old Neelam took on Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki. Neelam lost by fall after trailing 0-5.
The two podium finishes marked a significant milestone for Indian wrestling, as it was the first time two Indian women reached the finals at the same edition of the World Championships. Their achievements build on the breakthrough by Anshu Malik, who became the first Indian woman to reach a World Championships final in 2021.
Kajal had demonstrated remarkable resilience on her way to the final, notably recovering from a 1-7 deficit to defeat Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy 10-7 in the semifinals.
Neelam also displayed composure throughout the competition, securing her place in the final with a comfortable 7-3 victory over Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova.
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