Manisha Bhanwala became the first Indian wrestler to win a women’s freestyle gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships after a stunning comeback victory in the 59kg final in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday. The 29-year-old Manisha Bhanwala, competing at the World Wrestling Championships 2026, came back from 6-0 down to beat reigning Pan American champion Abigail Nette of the USA 8-6 in the gold medal bout.
Manisha became only the second Indian wrestler to win a senior world title. Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was previously India’s only world champion, having won the men’s 66kg freestyle crown in 2010. The gold marked a new high in the career of Manisha, the 2025 Asian champion, who had competed at three previous senior World Championships without winning a medal. She made it to the bronze medal bout in the non-Olympic 65kg division in Tirana in 2024 but lost 8-2 to Japan’s Miwa Morikawa.
Manisha switched to the non-Olympic 59kg category for the World Championships and produced a dominant run to the final.
She began her campaign with a victory by fall over Canada’s 2025 world bronze medallist and four-time Pan American champion Laurence Beauregard before beating Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu 6-0 in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, Manisha overwhelmed home favourite and former U23 world bronze medallist Altyn Shagayeva of Kazakhstan.
The Indian led 3-0 after the opening period before stretching her advantage to 10-0 and securing the fall to book her place in the gold medal bout.
Manisha’s victory took India’s medal tally at the championships to four – one gold, two silver and one bronze – with all four medals coming in women’s freestyle.
Source: Olympics