Teenage wrestler Antim Panghal wins gold on National Games debut


PTI, Oct 2, 2022, 8:50 PM IST

Image credit: PTI / File

Ahmedabad: Reigning world under-20 champion Antim Panghal clinched the gold medal in the women’s 53kg wrestling event at the National Games here on Sunday.

The 18-year-old from Hisar defeated Madhya Pradesh’s Priyanshi Prajapati in a victory by fall on her National Games debut.

“She would keep pursuing as soon as we end our training sessions before any major tournament to search for videos of her opponents. At times it gets difficult to collect videos, especially in domestic competitions as most coaches don’t like sharing inputs, which is quite understandable,” her coach Vikash Bharadwaj said.

“I told her before going for the final bout that you should target win by fall. She’s already in the 53kg category while Priyanshi is from the 50kg, so there’s always an edge,” he said.

Antim had joined the Babba Lal Das Wrestling Academy in 2016 as a 12-year-old after one of her four elder sisters, a kabaddi player, spotted a wrestling academy in remote Baghana village of Hisar. She contacted the coach after discussing with her farmer father.

“She was 12 when she joined our academy, and we found her a perfect fit for wrestling. She had the perfect physique and temperament of being a wrestler, but what actually made her stand out in the crowd was her passion for the sport,” Bharadwaj said.

“She would keep training for hours without a single complaint while others would keep requesting to lessen weight training. For Antim, it was always like what’s next, and we would coax her to rest,” he said.

The loss in the Commonwealth Games qualifiers to eventual gold medallist in 53kg weight division Vinesh Phogat left young Antim dejected. The youngster doesn’t like losing, and on Sunday her prowess was on full display as she opened up a big 5-0 lead early on.

“After the loss to Vinesh in the qualifiers, she took it as a challenge to win big in her next competition. The National Games is a good exposure for her, we worked out on a few technical flaws which she committed in the bout against Vinesh,” her coach said.

Gujarat’s Khalifa Hina and Maharashtra’s Swati Sanjay grabbed the bronze medals on offer in the category.

Seasoned Maharashtra grappler Narsingh Pancham Yadav had to settle for the bronze in the men’s freestyle 74kg division, in which Delhi’s Yash took the gold after getting the better of Haryana’s Sagar Jaglan in the final.

In men’s 86kg, Uttar Pradesh’s Jointy Kumar took the gold after defeating second seeded Vetal Audamb of Maharashtra.

In women’s 57kg category, Haryana grappler Mansi registered a thumping win over Chandigarh’s Neetu by fall to pocket the yellow metal. Preety Kumar of Rajasthan and Sonali Mandlik of Maharashtra took the bronze medals.

In Greco Roman, Gyanender of the Services took the gold medal while Haryana’s Vikas took home the silver in the 60kg category. In the 130kg class, Haryana’s Satish bagged the gold after Services grappler Naveen skipped the final due to an injury.

Gursewak Singh of Punjab and Yatendra of Uttar Pradesh bagged the bronze medals in the category.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Maharashtra Polls: Eknath Shinde targets Uddhav for `giving up’ Bal Thackeray’s principles for power

Will appear before Lokayukta for questioning in MUDA case, says CM Siddaramaiah

Lies have short life, Cong’s ‘fake’ narrative smashed: Fadnavis

Temple idols found desecrated in Hyderabad, case registered

SC junks plea against quashing of LOC issued to ex-house help of Sushant Singh Rajput

JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal to visit K’taka on Nov 7 to meet farmers protesting Waqf notices

Indian boxer Mandeep Jangra wins WBF’s world title

Related Articles More

IOA submits ‘Letter of Intent’ to host 2036 Olympics in India

Mohammed Shami’s return to competitive cricket delayed; not to play for Bengal against Karnataka, MP

IPL auction set to be held in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh at end of November

So proud of you: Ravindra reveals rare message from dad after NZ’s historic series win

Gautam Gambhir’s performance under scanner after disaster in Sri Lanka and India

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Davanagere: Man murdered by relative for insurance money; 4 arrested within 24 hours

Heroin worth Rs 3.5 crore recovered in police raid in Delhi, 2 arrested

Govt clerk found dead in Tahsildar’s chamber, FIR filed against minister’s PA, 2 others

Treated Muslims like fuel for ‘lantern’: Prashant Kishor targets Lalu, asks upper castes to stay away from Nitish

MP Brijesh Chowta urges Kerala CM for strict action against attack on Edneer Swamiji’s vehicle

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.