Antim Panghal wins silver in women’s 53kg wrestling at Asian Games

Indian wrestler Antim Panghal secured the silver medal in the women’s 53 kg category at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on October 3. Panghal was defeated by Japan’s Moe Kiyooka, ranked 19th, by a score of 1-9 in the gold medal match, according to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) media.

This achievement marks India’s first silver medal in the women’s 53 kg wrestling event at the Asian Games, with Panghal having won bronze in the 2022 edition. This medal contributed to India’s overall tally of 84 medals at the Games, comprising 20 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

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In other wrestling events, Deepak Punia earned a bronze medal for India in the men’s 97 kg freestyle category after a 2-1 victory over Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar. Punia’s medal is India’s first in this category at the Asian Games since Bhim Singh’s bronze in 1966.

Meanwhile, Sagar Jaglan was defeated in the men’s freestyle 74 kg bronze medal contest by Kazakhstan’s Nurkozha Kaipanov, a three-time world medallist, who pinned him within 30 seconds.

Aman Sehrawat won the gold medal in the men’s freestyle 57 kg category following a win over North Korea’s Chong Song Han. Sehrawat began the final cautiously, defending against Han’s repeated attempts and conceding a point from a passivity warning before scoring a takedown. He led 4-1 at the break after a second takedown and extended this to 6-1 early in the second period.

Han mounted a strong comeback despite a knee injury, scoring six points rapidly to take a 7-6 lead. Sehrawat responded with a critical four-point move, including a takedown and roll, to reclaim the lead at 10-7 and added a further point following an unsuccessful challenge by Han, ultimately securing victory.

This gold medal marked India’s second wrestling gold at the Games after Sujeet Kalkal’s win on October 2. Aman Sehrawat’s performance combined strong defensive skill with effective offensive technique, overcoming a brief setback in the latter stages of the final.

India’s strong medal performance at the Asian Games also included golds for Kumkum Mohod, Pranavi Urs and the men’s cricket team. Pranavi, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar won silver in the women’s team golf event, while Neeraj Chauhan claimed bronze in men’s individual recurve archery.