All posts tagged: Antim Panghal

Panghal sidesteps Phogat show to book Asian Games ticket

Panghal sidesteps Phogat show to book Asian Games ticket

Published by Webster

4 min readMay 30, 2026 10:29 PM IST On a day when the presence of ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat hogged the limelight, two-time World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal reclaimed her standing in the 53 kg category after defeating Meenakshi Goyat in the Asian Games trials final at the IG Indoor Stadium. Antim, who represented India in the 53 kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics, suffered a shocking loss against Meenakshi Goyat in the Asian Championships trial earlier this year. In the absence of Vinesh, Antim had owned the 53 kg category for the past two years before losing to Meenakshi. The loss against Meenakshi in the Asian Championships trial had hit Antim like a roadblock. “I lost to Meenakshi di last time in the trials. Before that I rarely lost in the trials and was going to international tours. When I lost the last time, it hit me a little hard,” said Antim. “I realised the importance of winning and worked extra hard this time.” On Saturday, Antim came up with a new …

Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games hopes end after semifinal defeat at Selection Trials

Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games hopes end after semifinal defeat at Selection Trials

Published by Webster

Vinesh Phogat saw her hopes of representing India at the upcoming Asian Games 2026 come to an end after suffering a semifinal defeat in the women’s 53kg selection trials on Saturday. The two-time World Championships medallist had returned to competition amid significant controversy surrounding her eligibility and weight category. However, her comeback bid ended before the final, effectively ruling her out of contention for a place in India’s Asian Games squad. Earlier in the day, Vinesh comfortably opened her campaign with a 7-1 victory over Jyoti. She then found herself in a dramatic quarterfinal against Nishu, who raced into a 5-0 lead and came close to pinning the former world medallist after a spectacular four-point throw. Vinesh battled back in the second period, producing a crucial four-point move before edging ahead 6-5. The bout was marked by multiple challenges, technical interruptions and lengthy stoppages. After a tense finish, Vinesh advanced on the criteria following a 6-6 scoreline. She ended up losing to Meenakshi Goyat in the semifinals. Weight category dispute adds to dramatic day The …

Meenakshi, who beat Antim Panghal in trials, reaches final

Meenakshi, who beat Antim Panghal in trials, reaches final

Published by Webster

Meenakshi, who had stunned Antim Pangal in the national selection trials last month, reached the women’s 53kg final at the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships on Thursday. Up against South Korea’s Seo Young Park in the semi-finals, Meenakshi trailed 0-2 until the last 30 seconds before she fought back with a four-point throw to advance to the gold medal bout. She is the only Indian woman to reach the final of the continental championships this edition. Meenakshi, a former U-23 Asian champion, will now face China’s Jin Zhang in the final on Friday. Hansika, Neha win bronze Elsewhere, Hansika Lamba and Neha clinched a bronze medal apiece in women’s 55kg and women’s 59kg respectively. While Hansika beat Kyrgyzstan’s Aruuke Kyzy 6-1 in the bronze medal match, Neha took down Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkuu 10-4. The medal wins from Hansika and Neha took India’s total medal tally at the 2026 Asian Championships to seven. Earlier, the Greco Roman wrestlers from the country had bagged five medals. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or …

How Meenakshi did the improbable in Indian wrestling – pin Antim Panghal to clinch spot in Asian Championships

How Meenakshi did the improbable in Indian wrestling – pin Antim Panghal to clinch spot in Asian Championships

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 17, 2026 10:50 PM IST With just 20 seconds left in the bout, 25-year-old Meenakshi attempted something not many have dared to do for a long time on the Indian wrestling scene. The girl from Jind pinned down two-time World Championships medallist Antim Panghal to hand the former U23 World Champion her first defeat on the national circuit in over three years. Onlookers were stunned while Antim stayed on the mat for more than 30 seconds to process what had just happened as Meenakshi offered her hand to the inconsolable favourite to help her get back on her feet. Competing at the trials for the 2026 Asian Championships, Meenakshi claimed the berth in the 53kg category which has largely been Antim’s preserve since Vinesh Phogat left the scene. ALSO READ | Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat leads campaign at Asian Championship as Meenakshi pips Antim Panghal for a spot “I am having fun,” Meenakshi quipped immediately after her bout. “I have been preparing for the past many years to fit in …

Who is Meenakshi? The wrestler who beat Antim Panghal in the Asian C’ships trials

Who is Meenakshi? The wrestler who beat Antim Panghal in the Asian C’ships trials

Published by Webster

One decisive move and strong nerves is all it took for Meenakshi to deny the experienced Antim Panghal a shot at next month’s 2026 Asian Wrestling Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 6-12. Meenakshi pipped two-time World Wrestling Championships bronze medallist at the selection trials at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi by pin fall. “I had the confidence. Every time I used to doubt myself and that reflected in my performance as I lost everytime. So, this time I had made up my mind that I have nothing to lose. I had pre-planned how I would fight,” the 25-year-old told The Bridge after winning the women’s 53kg trials. Antim started on the backfoot falling 0-2 behind before recovering a point at 2-1 in the first three minutes. Each time Antim went for the leg, she was met by an alert Meenakshi. With 30 seconds remaining, Antim levelled the score 2-all for pushing Meenakshi out. But it was Meenakshi who held her nerves and caught Antim in a high-frequency takedown before transitioning it …

Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat leads campaign at Asian Championship as Meenakshi pips Antim Panghal for a spot

Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat leads campaign at Asian Championship as Meenakshi pips Antim Panghal for a spot

Published by Webster

4 min readMar 17, 2026 08:14 PM IST Paris Olympics medallist Aman Sehrawat will headline the Indian squad for the upcoming Asian Wrestling Championships scheduled from April 6 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan after the trials concluded on Tuesday. While the men’s squad was on expected lines, the women’s trials in New Delhi saw surprises with two-time World Championships medallist Antim Panghal losing in the 53kg final to Meenakshi while rising heavyweight wrestler Kajal stunned former junior World Champion Priya Malik in the 76kg category. In one of the most fiercely competitive women’s wrestling trials in recent times, Antim was having a good day until she met Meenakshi in the final bout. The latter, who recently won a silver medal in the same weight category at the Tirana Ranking Series, displayed sturdy defence and pinned the two- time U23 World champion, much to everyone’s surprise. This is the first time in three years that Antim has lost a bout on the national circuit. In fact, Meenakshi had lost to Antim on three different occasions during trials before …

Meenakshi knocks out Antim Panghal from Asian C’ships trials

Meenakshi knocks out Antim Panghal from Asian C’ships trials

Published by Webster

New Delhi: The two-time world championships medalist Antim Panghal shock exit from the selection trials for the upcoming 2026 Asian Wrestling C’ships, missing out on the Indian team. She was stunned by the 25-year-old Meenakshi in the women’s 53kg final, losing the bout on a pinfall in the dying moments after trailing 2-6 on the scoreboard. Meenakshi countered all the low attempted moves of Antim efficiently to book her spot for the senior Asian Championships for the first time. She continued her wonderful form this year, having a perfect record at the Pro Wrestling League and then a silver medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series. “I had the confidence from the start, as every time I make mistakes just because of my self-doubt, but this time I thought there was nothing to lose and had my plans for this win”, Meenakshi told The Bridge after her bout. There was another big surprise in the heavyweight category as Kajal Dhochak came from behind to defeat the favourite Priya Malik 4-2 in the women’s 76 Kg …

How to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in Wrestling?

How to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in Wrestling?

Published by Webster

The Olympic Qualification System (OQS) for wrestling at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has been officially confirmed by the United World Wrestling (UWW). Wrestling will retain all its 18 weight categories for the LA Olympics – six each in men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling and men’s Greco-Roman. However, UWW has significantly revamped its Olympic qualification process for the 2028 LA Olympics to promote greater inclusivity. Events & Quotas Available There will be 16 quotas available in each of the 18 weight categories, confirmed only through qualification, as there is no host quota or universality Quota for wrestling. The biggest change UWW has made to the Qualification Process is including quotas based on World Ranking events, and hence reducing the quotas of World Qualifiers to just one. Here is the list of quotas on offer per category in each of the qualifying events of wrestling: World Championships: 4 Quotas The 2027 World Wrestling Championships will be the first qualifying event of the LA Olympics, offering 4 quota events per category. It means that all the 4 …

Indian contingent gears up for first Ranking Series event of the year

Indian contingent gears up for first Ranking Series event of the year

Published by Webster

Indian wrestlers are set to begin their international season with the first Ranking Series event of the year, the Zagreb Open in Croatia, to be held from February 4 to 8. Following the much-welcomed return of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), the young wrestlers are now geared up to showcase the skills and experience they gained from the league on the global stage. India will send a 41-member contingent to the event, including experienced campaigners such as Sujeet Kalkal, Manisha Bhanwala, Aman Sehrawat and two-time world medallist Antim Panghal. A new start for Indian wrestling The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is also aiming to provide strong international exposure to young wrestlers and has therefore entered multiple athletes across the Olympic weight categories. This year marks a new beginning for Indian wrestling, with the start of a fresh Olympic cycle and a major continental showdown in the form of the Asian Games later this year. The Ranking Series events will not only provide valuable international experience to the wrestlers but will also help WFI identify …

Pro Wrestling League: Susaki hands Antim a lesson

Pro Wrestling League: Susaki hands Antim a lesson

Published by Parlour News

Noida: Yui Susaki has moved on from the Paris Olympics shock defeat she was handed by Vinesh Phogat. Phogat, herself, did the same for a brief period. Unable to bear the pain of coming so close to an Olympic medal yet being denied in the most dramatic of circumstances, she quit the sport for a while, entered politics and is now the mother of a baby boy, but the passion for wrestling and an Olympic medal brought her back into the fold recently. But even as Vinesh builds up to throw herself into the heat of battle and prepare for the Los Angeles Olympics, Susaki has come calling all the way to India for a fight. Susaki’s famous fight with Vinesh made her the biggest star in the ongoing Pro Wrestling League, snapped up by Haryana Thunders for ₹60 lakh as the costliest buy of the season. She is cheered in the arena before every bout, and she has shown her class. In a new weight class of 53kg — up from 50kg — Susaki …