World Wrestling C'ships: Manisha Bhanwala crowned India's first women's world champion

Manisha Bhanwala etched her names in the annals of Indian sporting history on Friday, becoming the first Indian woman to be crowned the World Wrestling Champion.

Bhanwala took down the United States' Abigail Nette 8-6 to win the women's 59kg gold medal at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The 29-year-old from Rohtak had a horrid start in the title clash and was trailing 0-6 before she mounted a stellar comeback to win the gold medal bout 8-6 to seal the title.

Earlier in the competition, Bhanwala had beaten Altyn Shagayeva in the semi-finals on Thursday to become the third Indian woman to reach the final of the 2026 World Wrestling Championships.

The other two – Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak – had lost their respective finals to return home with a silver medal each.