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Antim defends her U-20 Worlds crown in style
The 19-year-old Antim defeated Ukraine’s Mariia Yefremova, a 2022 U-17 world champion and 2021 cadet world champion, 4-0 in the 53kg gold medal bout.
A year after becoming the first Indian woman junior world champion wrestler, Antim Panghal on Friday became the first woman from the country to wear the crown twice after she defended her 53kg title at the U-20 UWW World Championships in Jordan.
Antim was joined by Savita (62kg) in the champion’s club a day after Priya opened India's gold medal account in this edition. Antim Kundu lost the 65kg gold medal bout for silver while Reena pocketed the 57kg bronze.
The 19-year-old Antim defeated Ukraine’s Mariia Yefremova, a 2022 U-17 world champion and 2021 cadet world champion who was yet to lose a tournament in her junior career, 4-0 in the 53kg gold medal bout. The Indian got an early 2-0 lead and continued to find openings into her opponent's strapped left leg. Although Mariia’s defence denied Antim more inroads, the defending champion collected two more points with a little over 10 seconds on the clock.
It has been an eventful year so far for the fast-rising teen from Haryana, who won the senior Asian Championships silver in April and is set to travel to next month's Asian Games replacing the injured Vinesh Phogat, whose trials-exempted selection had been challenged by Antim in the first place. Ater creating history on the same stage last year in Sofia, Antim was dominant in Jordan, dropping just two points in her march to victory.
Meanwhile, Savita, who won the U-17 World Championships last month, proved too good for Astrid Paola Chirinos in the 62kg final, opening up a massive 9-0 lead at the end of the first period before finishing the job soon after with a technical superiority (10-0) victory.
Reena took the 57kg bronze medal with a dramatic 9-4 win over Kazakshtan's Shugyla Omirbek. The Kazak had seemingly turned a 2-5 deficit to a 6-5 lead with seconds left before Reena challenged the call, won it and the place in the podium. Antim Kundu was outclassed 9-2 by Hungary's Elekes Eniko in the 65kg gold medal bout.
None of India's greco-roman wrestlers made it past the quarter-final stage of the competition.
