Manisha Bhanwala becomes India's first women's world wrestling champion

Manisha Bhanwala became India’s first ever women’s world champion at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan on October 30, 2026, winning the gold in the women’s 59kg freestyle division. She beat United States wrestler Abigail Nette 8-6 after overturning a 0-6 deficit in the final.

Born on February 10, 1997, Bhanwala hails from Siwaha village in Haryana’s Jind district and began wrestling in 2013 after her father took her to an akhada to improve fitness and lose weight. She trained under coach Mandeep Singh at Sir Chhotu Ram Stadium and later worked with Japanese coach Kosei Akaishi at the Inspire Institute of Sport. Over her career she has competed across multiple weight classes, including 57kg, 59kg, 60kg, 62kg and 65kg.

Her international rise started at junior level with gold at the 2016 Cadet World Championships and a 60kg gold at the 2016 South Asian Games. In 2018 she added another international title, winning gold at the World Military Games in China.

At senior continental level, Bhanwala earned bronze medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She then won the 62kg gold at the 2025 Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, overturning a 2-7 deficit to beat North Korea’s Kim Ok-Ju 8-7 in the final.

At the 2026 World Championships in Astana she moved through the draw with a 10-0 semifinal victory over Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva before the final against Abigail Nette. After falling 0-6, Bhanwala scored eight unanswered points to secure the 8-6 title win; she had also defeated Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik during selection trials.

Bhanwala’s world title made her the first Indian woman to win gold at the Senior World Wrestling Championships and only the second Indian wrestler to claim a senior world crown after Sushil Kumar’s 2010 men’s 66kg freestyle victory. Her success capped India’s best-ever senior women’s World Championships campaign, with Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and Kajal Dhochak (76kg) each winning silver and Tanu Sharma taking bronze, giving India four women’s medals at the event.

Having won titles at cadet, continental and senior world levels, Bhanwala has set her long-term target on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and is aiming to move down to the 57kg Olympic weight class as she prepares for the next Olympic cycle.