World Wrestling Championships 2025: Antim Panghal wins bronze, India’s first medal in Zagreb

September 19, 2025

Antim Panghal (53kg) provided India with its first moment of celebration at the World Wrestling Championships 2025 in Zagreb by winning a bronze medal on Thursday. The 21-year-old displayed resilience and sharp mat skills to defeat Sweden’s Olympian Emma Jonna Malmgren 9-1 in a one-sided bronze medal contest.

For Antim, the medal carried added significance as it came after her disappointing outing at the Paris Olympics earlier this year. The Haryana wrestler, who had been under pressure to redeem herself, produced a composed performance. She went into the break with a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a passivity point and a clean takedown. In the second period, she showcased her attacking edge with a swift two-pointer and capped off the bout with a spectacular throw to seal the victory.

This is Antim’s second bronze at the Worlds, putting her alongside Vinesh Phogat as the only Indian women wrestlers with two medals at the event.

However, the day was far less encouraging for the rest of the Indian contingent. Priya Malik (76kg) faltered in her bronze medal bout, losing 0-10 to Olympic medallist Milaimys Marin. Manisha Bhanwala also exited after a 0-9 defeat in her repechage round against Bulgaria’s Bilyana Dudova.

India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers endured another forgettable campaign, with all four in action failing to win a bout. Anil Mor suffered the heaviest defeat, bowing out in just 13 seconds against world number one Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, who repeatedly flipped him with a headlock. Aman (77kg) lost by technical superiority to Japan’s Nao Kusaka, while Rahul (82kg) managed to last six minutes but still went down 1-7 against Kazakhstan’s Almir Tolebayev. In the 130kg category, Sonu was overpowered 0-8 by Croatia’s Marko Koscevic.

Despite the setbacks, Antim’s bronze ensured India did not return empty-handed from Zagreb, offering a glimmer of hope for the future.