Antim Panghal Wins Historic Bronze At World Championships! Ends India's Medal Drought

Antim Panghal clinched her second World Championship medal with a commanding 9-1 win over U23 world champion Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren in the women’s 53kg bronze medal play-off on Thursday.

Her victory ensured India did not return empty-handed from the Croatian capital.

India’s campaign had been underwhelming since day one, following Aman Sehrawat’s shock disqualification, but Antim broke the dry spell with her historic medal.

Redemption After Olympic Heartbreak

For Antim, 21, the medal carried added significance.

The two-time U20 world champion had already won bronze at the 2023 edition but came into this tournament under pressure after a heartbreaking first-round exit at the 2024 Paris Olympics, followed by the humiliation of deportation.

But now,

with her win today, Antim, 21, becomes only the second Indian woman after Vinesh Phogat to win multiple World Championship medals.

Other women’s medallists — including Alka Tomar, Geeta Phogat, Babita Phogat, Pooja Dhanda, Sarita Mor, and Anshu Malik — each have one.

Rising Star in the 53kg Category

Once dominated by Vinesh Phogat, the 53kg category now has a new Indian face at the top. Antim has transitioned smoothly from junior to senior level, already collecting:

• Two World Championship bronzes (2023, 2024)
• A bronze at the Asian Games
• One silver and one bronze at the Asian Championships
• Two gold medals at Grand Prix events

Poor Show from Greco-Roman Wrestlers

India’s Greco-Roman wrestlers continued to struggle on the world stage, with none of the four in action on Thursday managing to win a bout — or even score a point.

The most lopsided defeat came in the 55kg category, where Anil Mor lasted just 13 seconds against world No. 1 Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan. Azizli quickly locked Mor in a headhold and executed multiple flips to win by technical superiority. Mor’s campaign ended when Azizli later lost his semifinal, ruling out repechage.

In the 77kg class, Aman was beaten by technical superiority by Japan’s Nao Kusaka, though he was pulled back into repechage after Kusaka reached the final. Aman then lost to Ukraine’s Ihor Bychkov.

In 82kg, Rahul put up the longest fight for India, lasting the full six minutes before losing 1-7 to Kazakhstan’s Almir Tolebayev.

In the 130kg heavyweight division, Sonu was brushed aside 0-8 by Croatia’s Marko Koscevic. Both Rahul and Sonu were eliminated after their conquerors failed to make the finals.