Barely had the referee's whistle signalled the start of the women's 59kg final in Astana when Abigail Elizabeth Nette of the US seized Manisha Bhanwala's left leg in a swift attack. The move was so quick, the grip so tight, that despite her best efforts, Manisha could not wriggle free of her opponent's clutches.
Manisha turned, twisted and hopped on one leg in defence for nearly 30 seconds, but Abigail refused to let go, eventually throwing her down for four points at the edge of the mat. India challenged the call but lost. Manisha was down 0-5.
It was soon 0-6, and Manisha was staring at defeat. A push-out towards the end of the first period earned her a point and a measure of confidence. In the second period, Manisha produced a comeback for the ages, going on the offensive and pulling off a sensational 8-6 victory to become India's first woman world wrestling champion.
She jumped for joy, as did India's coach Virender Dahiya. Together, they celebrated on the mat with the Tricolour. Never before had an Indian woman wrestler scaled this summit.
Although the 59kg category is a non-Olympic weight class, the achievement is significant. Before this edition, Anshu Malik was the only Indian woman to have reached a senior World Championships final, winning silver in the 57kg category in 2021. Vinesh Phogat, one of India's most accomplished wrestlers, has won two bronze medals at the World Championships. Antim Panghal has also claimed two bronze medals in Olympic weight categories, but a world title had eluded her. In men's freestyle wrestling, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar remains India's only world champion.
{{/usCountry}}Although the 59kg category is a non-Olympic weight class, the achievement is significant. Before this edition, Anshu Malik was the only Indian woman to have reached a senior World Championships final, winning silver in the 57kg category in 2021. Vinesh Phogat, one of India's most accomplished wrestlers, has won two bronze medals at the World Championships. Antim Panghal has also claimed two bronze medals in Olympic weight categories, but a world title had eluded her. In men's freestyle wrestling, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar remains India's only world champion.
{{/usCountry}}In Astana, the Indian women's team, coming off a disappointing Asian Games campaign with just one medal to show, has displayed tremendous grit. A world title seemed within reach when Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and Kajal Dhochak (76kg) reached the finals in Olympic weight categories. Both lost their title bouts and settled for silver. A third opportunity came when the experienced Manisha cruised past her opponents to reach the 59kg final.
"We watched Abigail's bouts yesterday, and the plan was to attack in the second period when she generally tires. She used a lot of her energy in the first period," India's team coach Virender Dahiya told HT from Astana. "At the break, when Manisha was trailing 1-6, I told her to stay focused and execute the game plan. I told her she could win the final."
Indeed, Abigail was gasping for breath in the closing stages, while Manisha appeared to grow stronger.
"I can't feel anything right now," Manisha told UWW. "I've been waiting for a long time for this moment. Since 2022, I've been writing that I would be world champion. It was my dream to become the first Indian woman to win a world title. Today, that dream has come true."
"When Kajal made the final, everyone was saying that she would win gold," she said. "But I think maybe God wanted to make me the first world champion. Maybe this is the reward for my tapasya. For me, wrestling is like worship. The way I feel about my father, that's how I feel about wrestling."
It was Manisha's father, Suresh, who took her to an akhada in Siwaha village in Jind, Haryana, in 2013. That marked the beginning of a long journey, one that included three previous appearances at the World Championships and frequent changes in weight categories, from 65kg to 62kg, 59kg and 57kg. Her short frame was a disadvantage, but she worked hard to make herself stronger on the mat.
Then came the death of her father in 2022, which initially broke her but eventually strengthened her resolve to pursue her dream of becoming a world champion.
"She has been training with such focus since 2022, with the goal of achieving something big for the country," Dahiya said. "She misses her father, and we kept telling her that she had to win it for him."
Manisha competed in the 57kg Olympic weight category at the 2026 Asian Games but lost to Japanese ace Akari Fujinami in the quarterfinals. Last year, she won the Asian Championships title in the 62kg category before dropping to 57kg for the Asian Games. She also became a national champion, but translating domestic success into results on the international stage in an Olympic weight category takes time.
"She was devastated after the Asian Games, " Dahiya said, "but I told her that maybe destiny had something big in store for her."
Turns out, it was a historic world title.