Manisha Bhanwala has set her next target as a medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, days after becoming the first Indian woman to win a senior World Championships gold medal. Manisha Bhanwala spoke about her Olympic goal during a virtual interaction organised by the Wrestling Federation of India on Saturday, a day after her title win in Astana, Kazakhstan. “In 2028, you and I will meet in Los Angeles, with a medal,” she said.
Manisha Bhanwala won the women’s 59kg title on Friday, 30 October, beating Abigail Nette of the United States 8-6 in the final. She trailed 6-0 in the bout before scoring the last eight points to take the title. The win made her the first Indian woman to win gold at the senior World Championships, and only the second Indian wrestler of either gender to win a senior world title, after Sushil Kumar won the men’s 66kg freestyle crown in 2010.
Before her win, the best result by an Indian woman at the World Championships had been Anshu Malik’s silver medal in 2021. She changed that record in Astana, and she did it after a difficult run at the Asian Games, where she competed in the 57kg category and left without a medal. She said the Asian Games result brought frustration, but her coach, Virender Dahiya, kept her focus on the World Championships.
“There was no luck in the Asian Games,” Manisha Bhanwala said. “It was all frustration. I kept talking to the coach about wrestling, practice and recovery. He told me that the next target was the World Championship. I still remember him saying that God had planned something big for me.”
How Manisha Bhanwala won the world title in Astana
Her path to the final was built on wins over experienced opponents. She pinned Laurence Beauregard of Canada, who had won a World Championships bronze medal, and then beat Bolortuya Khurelkhuu of Mongolia 6-0. In the semi-final, she pinned Altyn Shagayeva of Kazakhstan 10-0 by fall, which sent her into the gold medal match against Nette.
The final started badly for Manisha Bhanwala. Nette opened up a 6-0 lead, and the Indian had to chase the bout from behind. She stayed calm, kept attacking, and scored eight points without reply to win 8-6. She said later that she told herself to keep a clear mind and to do what she had to do, even when she felt pressure after conceding points.
“Sometimes, when I concede points on the international stage, I feel the pressure,” she said. “But then I tell myself to keep a clear mind and do what I have to do. I felt I needed to score at least 10 points.”
Manisha Bhanwala is 29 years old and has competed in four weight categories, from 65kg down to 57kg, winning medals in each of them. Her previous World Championships appearances came in the 62kg category in 2023 and in 65kg in 2024, before she returned to 62kg last year. The move to 59kg for Astana was a deliberate choice after the Asian Games.
Why Manisha Bhanwala moved weight for the world title
After the Asian Games, Manisha Bhanwala decided that cutting weight again in a short gap would hurt her preparation. She had competed at 57kg in Japan, and with only a short time before the World Championships, she felt that losing weight in 10 days would be tough. She chose 59kg instead, even though 59kg is not an Olympic weight category.
“I was confident of winning a medal at the Asian Games, but I knew I would have very little time to prepare for the World Championships,” she said. “Losing weight in 10 days would have been tough, so I felt 59kg would be better. The medal at the Asian Games was very important to me, but unfortunately, it did not happen.”
Her father, who introduced her to wrestling and remained her biggest supporter until his death in 2022, was a central part of her story in Astana. Before the final, she wore a special T-shirt in his memory. “I cannot tell you how much my father contributed to my career,” she said. “I keep talking to him as if he is living inside me. He is a part of my life; he is in my heart.”
Dahiya, who first worked with Manisha Bhanwala during a training camp in Lucknow in 2022 ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, praised her commitment. “She had no other hobby in life,” he said. “Her only hobby was wrestling. The result is in front of you.” Manisha Bhanwala now plans to return to 57kg, one of the six Olympic women’s weight categories, with the Senior National Championships, the Pro Wrestling League and a national camp ahead of her.