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Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, along with state Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam, felicitated wrestler Manisha Bhanwala here on Tuesday after her historic gold medal-winning performance at the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Manisha became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships after clinching the 59kg freestyle title with a remarkable 8-6 comeback victory over USA's Abigail Elizabeth Nette, recovering from a 0-6 deficit in the final. Speaking to ANI after the felicitation, Manisha said she was proud of her achievement and grateful for the encouragement from the Haryana government, adding that the Chief Minister had urged her to set her sights on an Olympic medal. "I feel very proud, and I consider myself truly fortunate to have achieved this. It feels wonderful. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini congratulated me and remarked that I have performed my best so far, but encouraged me to aim even higher. He said I have the potential to become a world champion and an Olympic champion. He advised me to stay focused, adding that they hope I will bring home an Olympic medal for the country. I am very happy about that," she said. Hailing from Siwaha village in Haryana's Jind district, Manisha produced a spirited performance in the title clash against Nette. Trailing 0-6, she fought her way back into the contest before securing an 8-6 win to create history for Indian women's wrestling. Before her triumph, India had never won a women's gold at the Senior World Championships. The country's previous best performances included Anshu Malik's silver medal in 2021, while Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi also finished runners-up in this year's edition. Manisha's gold medal headlined India's four-medal campaign in the women's competition. Kajal and Neelam claimed silver medals, while Tanu Sharma secured bronze in the 72kg category. The Indian women's contingent thus signed off from the championships with one gold, two silver and one bronze, marking a significant campaign for the country. In the men's freestyle competition, Vicky Hooda bowed out in the 97kg repechage after losing 0-10 to Iran's Hassan Yazdani by technical superiority. India's campaigns in the men's 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg categories had also ended in the preliminary rounds. (ANI)
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