Asian Games: Decoding the achievements of wrestler Antim Panghal
What's the story
Indian wrestler Antim Panghal has won a silver medal in the women's 53kg category at the 2026 Asian Games. She lost to Japan's Moe Kiyooka in the gold-medal match, with a score of 1-9. Despite her defeat, this is a major milestone for Antim as it marks her second medal at the Asian Games after winning bronze in Hangzhou.
Pathway
Antim's journey to the final
Antim had a stellar run to reach the final. She started her campaign with a 9-0 win over Kazakhstan's Shugyla Omirbek.
The Indian wrestler then defeated Uzbekistan's Sakibjamal Esbosynova 8-0 in the quarterfinals and China's Jin Zhang 6-1 in the semifinals.
This performance made her only the third Indian woman wrestler after Geetika Jakhar and Vinesh Phogat to reach an Asian Games wrestling final.
Final bout
A look at the final match
In the final, Antim started cautiously as Kiyooka took an early lead.
The Japanese wrestler was awarded a point after Antim failed to score during the passivity period, ending the first period 2-0 in her favor.
Though Antim tried to make an attempt to score by scoring points, she was overpowered by Kiyooka who capitalized on the opening and scored a takedown to win gold.
Historic feat
First Indian woman wrestler to win medal at Asiad 2026
Antim's silver medal is a historic achievement as she is the first Indian woman wrestler to win a medal at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Games, as per IANS. Her feat adds to India's tally of six wrestling medals at the Asian Games 2026.
The Indian contingent had a good day with Aman Sehrawat winning gold in men's freestyle 57kg and Deepak Punia bagging bronze in men's 97kg event.
Career
A look at her career achievements
Panghal, a star in the 53kg category, has won two bronze medals at the World Championships.
As mentioned, she now has two Asian Games medals.
She is also a two-time medal winner (silver and bronze) at Asian Championships.
She is a three-time gold medalist and overall a five-time medal winner at Grand Prix.
Panghal also won a silver at U23 Asian Championships. At the U20 World Championships, she has bagged two gold.
Lastly, she won a bronze at U17 World Championships.