World champ wrestler Manisha Bhanwala to make 57kg switch to qualify for 2028 LA Olympics

Newly crowned world champion in the non-Olympic 59kg class says switching to a lower division won’t be an issue.

Manisha Bhanwala had nothing to lose after Abigail Nette of the US went up 6- 0 in the 59kg final at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana. Manisha said she came back more determined in the second period and overturned the deficit, winning the final 8-6 to become India's first woman world champion in wrestling.

Manisha Bhanwala after winning gold

"Whenever I am in a situation where I am trailing by a big margin, I just throw myself into attack because I have nothing to lose. I did exactly that, took the bout till the end and drew her into my fight," said Manisha in an interaction from Astana organised by the Wrestling Federation of India.

"I did not perform that well at the Asian Games. I was frustrated, but the national coach (Virender Dahiya) told me to focus on the world championships and pushed me to train. So, we didn't waste any time and got back to training," said the 29-year-old. "It was a long-time dream. I have competed in many weight classes and in three world championships.”

With Dahiya’s guidance, Manisha prepared well for the final. "It was her experience that saw her through. We watched videos of her opponent (Abigail) the night before and realised she was aggressive at the start and lost steam towards the closing stages. Manisha has the endurance. I was not worried at the break (Manisha trailing 1-6) and just asked her to keep her attack going and tire out her opponent. It worked," said Dahiya, who has worked with Manisha in national camps since 2022.

In her long career, Manisha has shifted weight divisions from 65kg to 57kg, trying to find the right division as she is short. At the Asian Championships last year, she won gold in 62kg. She has four Asian Championships medals. In her previous World Championships, she competed in 62kg (2023) and 65kg (2024), before returning to 62kg last year.

She then switched to 57kg with an eye on the 2028 LA Olympics. She won gold at the national championships and competed at the Asian Games. Manisha said she will return to 57kg at the senior nationals this year. Being an Olympic weight division, it would also be useful to prepare for the LA Olympics qualifiers.

"The target is to qualify for LA, and 57kg being the Olympic weight, I will be preparing for that division. This title has given me the confidence. Several of the world wrestlers in 59kg whom I have competed against would switch to the Olympic weight (57kg) next year, so that will be an advantage for me. Maintaining my weight (57kg) is not an issue."

Indian women wrestlers have given exceptional results at this world championships. Manisha won the title, Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and 18-year-old Kajal Dhochak (76kg) took silver in Olympic weight classes. Tanu Sharma won bronze in 72kg.

"We want to qualify for the LA Olympics in all six weights, and we have wrestlers who can do that. Manisha will prepare for 57kg. She is 29, but she has competed in major events now and has the experience. That is more important. There are some other good youngsters also in 57kg. Kajal and Neelam lacked experience but they have showed what they can achieve," said Dahiya.

Manisha, who comes from Jind, Haryana, wore a T-shirt with her father's picture after winning the world title in Astana. Her father played a big role in her wrestling career. He died in 2022. Manisha then battled mental health issues before battling her way back.

"My father did everything for me and was passionate about the sport. His contribution to making me a wrestler is huge. Since the time I started wrestling, I have had only one dream — to win something big in the sport."