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The first Indian woman to hold the Under-20 World Wrestling Championship is Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler from Haryana who won by defeating Kazakhstan’s Atlyn Shagayeva 8-0. The U-20 World Wrestling Championship was conducted in Sofia, Bulgaria. Antim Panghal won the first round with an 11-0 win against German Amery Olivia. In the 34-year history of the competition, Antim’s accomplishment is legendary since it is the first time an Indian girl has won the title of Under-20 World Wrestling Championship.
Key Takeaways
- Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler, won the gold medal in the women’s 53 kg division at the 2022 World U20 Wrestling Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler, has become the first Indian woman to achieve a gold medal in the U20 World Wrestling Championships by taking the top podium spot
- The U-20 World Wrestling Championship’s 45th edition was held during this year
- Atlyn Shagayeva of Kazakhstan was beaten by her (8-0) in the women’s 53kg final
- Antim is born in the Hisar district of Haryana
About Antim Panghal
By winning the gold, Antim Panghal makes history by being the first U-20 women’s wrestling champion. Antim Panghal comes from the Haryana town of Bhagana, which is part of the Hisar district.
Antim Panghal, a 2022 Asian Junior Championships gold medalist also won bronze in the Cadet World Championships (2021) and the U23 Asian Championships this year.
Antim held a 3-1 advantage against Vinesh Phogat in the last 10 seconds of their match at the June Commonwealth Games selection trials. Later, Phogat recovered to claim victory.
Antim Panghal: Early Life
The 17-year-old belonged to a conservative family where her last name, Antim, had a fairly retro implication. Her family was not expected to have any more female children since she was the fourth-born daughter. She wasn’t the only one, however; the Phogat sister, who came from a cultural state and whose family had been eagerly awaiting a boy, also made an outstanding imprint in the world of athletics and wrestling. Even yet, their wrestler dad Mahavir Singh Phogat made sure that all six of his daughters carried the kushti tradition admirably. They won medals everywhere, including the Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships, and National Championships.
Ramvivas Pangal and Krishna Kumari wanted a male after having three girls; they had Antim Panghal, the last of four sisters. However, it seems that the father of a now-legendary athlete never let it stop him from encouraging his youngest to pursue a career in athletics. Everybody can be inspired by a story this impressive.
Antim Panghal: Under 20 World Championships
With an opening-round victory of 11-0 versus German Amery Olivia, Antim Panghal succeeded because of her superior technical skills. The Japanese wrestler Ayaka Kimura was beaten by fall in the Indian’s second fight. In the semifinal round, Panghal competed against Nataliia Klivchutska of Ukraine, which she easily won 11-2.
Antim Panghal began the fight in the title match against Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva with a double leg assault before trying some outside head takedown. At this moment, Antim Panghal had a 6-0 lead. Antim Panghal needed only one takedown to win 8-0 and was willing to play out the last 3 minutes of the match after the break.
The other Indian wrestlers who competed in the final did not win the gold. India’s Priyanka lost to Japan’s Mahiro Yoshitake with a score of 0-8 in the 65 kg final. Two-time U17 world champion Sonam Malik was forced to accept silver after losing to Nonoka Ozaki in the 62 kg final.
The Journey from Haryana to the Gold Medal
Over time, wrestling has developed as a sport. The price that must be paid to get to the elite level is also the same. Antim is very lucky to have a parent who shares her commitment to excellence. When Antim decided to start wrestling, the Panghal family had no intention of turning back.
Her victory in the Under 20 World Wrestling Championship is only another accomplishment. She has continuously performed well since she was in the younger age group. She won the U-15 national 49kg title in Patna in 2018 before winning the bronze at the Under 15 Asian Wrestling Championship in Japan the following year.
In the next three years, the Haryana wrestler won a gold medal at the Cadet Under 17 National Title in Patna in 2020 and the Cadet Under 17 National Title at the Sub-Junior Nationals in 2019 in Cuttack. This year, she defeated significantly older competitors to win two medals: gold at the Junior Asian Championships and silver in the Under 23 Asian Championships.
Earlier this year, Antim came very close to pulling off an unexpected victory. At the Commonwealth Games selection trials, she had a 3-0 lead over world bronze medalist Vinesh Phogat with 15 seconds left before ultimately falling behind 3-3.
The agonising loss may have kept her thirsty. There is no question that she has potential. Just how effectively she can convert that into standout performances will determine how successful she is. Given her years, there is no need to discuss her “Antim” (death), since this is just the “Shuruwat,” and even it is a “Shubh” one.
India Wins 16 Medals at the Under 20 World Wrestling Championship
The Indian team had the greatest ever performance in the competition, and Antim’s gold medal victory at the U-20 World Wrestling Championship was the cherry on top. India finished their U20 Wrestling Championship campaign with 16 medals overall across all divisions. There were 1 gold, 4 silver, and 11 bronze medals in all. Check out the total medals for India in the competition:
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Women’s Wrestling | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Men’s Freestyle | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Men’s Greco-Roman | 0 | 0 | 2 |
India came third in the Under 20 World Wrestling Championship, thanks to their best effort. India’s women’s wrestling group managed to place second in the league, while the men’s freestyle team competition took second place. Before 2022, India’s greatest U- 20 World Wrestling Championship performance was in 2011, when it won 2 gold and 1 bronze medal.
