All posts tagged: Meenakshi Goyat

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 Goyat bags women’s 53kg silver medal

Meenakshi Goyat bags women’s 53kg silver medal

Published by Webster

Meenakshi Goyat clinched the women’s freestyle 53kg silver medal at the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Friday. India finished the women’s freestyle competition with four bronze and a silver medal. Meenaskhi, who booked her spot for Asian Championships after knocking out two-time world medallist Antm Panghal at national selection trials, had a good outing on debut. She defeated wrestlers from Uzbekistan and South Korea to book her spot in the final, which proved to be too big a task for her, losing in just 53 seconds to China’s Zhang Jin. However, the 25-year-old has had a good start to the year, winning two silver medals in two international events, first at the Muhamat Malo Ranking Series and now here at Asian C’ships. On the other hand, Monika Sheoran bagged the women’s 65kg bronze medal, defeating South Korea’s Hanbit Lee 9-0 in the bronze medal match. Following her, the 21-year-old Harshita Mor also bagged a bronze with a victory by fall over Sevinchoy Polvonova of Turkmenistan in the women’s 72kg category. Indian men’s …

Once a fan of WWE superstar John Cena, Meenakshi Goyat is now in the Asian Championships final

Once a fan of WWE superstar John Cena, Meenakshi Goyat is now in the Asian Championships final

Published by Webster

5 min readUpdated: Apr 10, 2026 08:42 AM IST A 10-year-old Meenakshi Goyat ran around her house wearing a t-shirt with a picture of WWE superstar John Cena on it. Fifteen years on she has emerged as a star in the real thing. On Thursday, at the Asian Wrestling Championships, Meenakshi set up the title clash with Jin Zhang of China in the 53-kg category, an Olympic Games weight classification. The wrestler from Haryana blitzed past Sabkibjamal Esbosynova of Uzbekistan and Seoyoung Park of South Korea. When her father Prem Goyat came to know about her daughter’s obsession with professional wrestling, he started to figure out where she could go and learn wrestling. “She got obsessed with John Cena after watching WWE on TV. She used to say that I want to wrestle like Cena,” Prem tells the Indian Express. That professional wrestling was a different kettle of fish didn’t strike Prem then. He and his daughter went looking for wrestling academies. “I had no idea that Pro Wrestling is different from what I am …