Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala set a historical record by winning the gold medal at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships. In the final of the women's up to 59 kg category, she defeated Abigail Nett from the United States of America with a score of 8-6.
A special moment of the match was that Manisha was trailing her opponent by a score of 0-6 at one point, but she made an impressive comeback and turned the tide of the match to win the title.
Thanks to this victory, Manisha Bhanwala became the first Indian woman to win gold at the World Wrestling Championships. Before her, in the men's category, only Sushil Kumar had achieved a similar feat for India, winning the gold medal in the 66 kg category in 2010.
In the early stages of the final, American athlete Abigail Nett created an advantage and put pressure on Manisha Bhanwala. Despite the score reaching 0-6, the Indian wrestler did not give up, continued to score points, and ultimately won with a score of 8-6.
Before the final, Manisha Bhanwala passed through the semi-final, where she defeated Altin Shagayeva from Kazakhstan. Furthermore, at this championship, Indian women achieved significant success in the team standings: for the first time, three Indian women reached the final stage in one tournament.
Nilam Sirohi (50 kg) and Kajal Dhokach (76 kg) won silver medals after losing in their final matches, while Tanu Sharma received a bronze medal.



