Two-time world championship medallist, Antim Panghal, successfully transitioned to a higher weight class, securing the gold medal in the women’s 55kg category at the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship in Ahmedabad.
The victory, achieved on Friday, 12 December 2025, marks her first major win since moving up from the 53kg division. This success demonstrates her versatility and is a strong indicator for future national selections as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and the next Olympic cycle.
The results underscore the continued strength of the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) through Panghal’s win, while Haryana emerged as the dominant overall women’s team.
A Post-Olympic Strategy
The 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championships carried heightened significance, serving as the first major domestic tournament following the Paris 2024 Olympics. Crucially, the event was held after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was fully reinstated into administrative control in March this year, marking a fresh start for the sport’s governing body.
The competition provided a necessary platform for the WFI to evaluate the national talent pool, which is vital for identifying athletes for upcoming national camps and trials. This competitive reset allows India’s wrestling ecosystem to strategically plan for the rigorous international schedule leading up to the Asian Games and the next global cycle.
Who is Olympian Antim Panghal
Antim Panghal, a prodigious talent from Haryana, is a rising star in Indian wrestling. She etched her name in history by becoming India’s first-ever woman to win a gold medal at the U-20 World Wrestling Championships in 2022, a title she successfully defended in 2023.
At the senior level, she is a two-time World Championships bronze medallist in the 53kg category and won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games. Panghal also represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Her consistent performance and rapid rise have positioned her as one of the country’s most promising medal prospects on the international stage.
Dominance on the Mat
The opening day saw intense competition across all ten women’s weight divisions. While Antim Panghal claimed the 55kg title, other significant gold medals were won by Olympian Manisha in the 57kg category and Nisha Dahiya in the 68kg division, both representing RSPB. Rajasthan’s Anjali secured the top spot in the 53kg event.
However, it was the state of Haryana that asserted its overall superiority, clinching the women’s team title with an impressive total of 190 points. RSPB finished as the runners-up with 144 points, demonstrating the strength of their institutional support, with Delhi securing third place with 112 points.
Antim Panghal’s Technical Mastery
Antim Panghal’s victory in the 55kg final against Jyoti of SSCB was a display of controlled aggression and technical mastery, concluding with a comfortable 5-0 scoreline. Panghal demonstrated strong defensive skills throughout the bout but managed to secure two decisive take-downs, one in each period of the match, to build her winning lead.
Her ability to execute moves and maintain technical superiority over her opponent in a new weight class is particularly noteworthy. This win is a strong indication that her power and speed translate effectively, regardless of the slightly heavier division, offering selectors more flexibility in her future deployment.
Athlete Welfare Over Weight Cuts
Addressing the rationale behind her weight class decision, Panghal offered clarity on her future plans. She revealed that the move to 55kg for the Nationals was a conscious choice to manage her body and recovery. She confirmed that this was a temporary measure aimed at athlete welfare, not a permanent change in category.
“I will go back to 53kg for the Pro Wrestling League and other important events next year,” she affirmed. This pragmatic approach highlights a growing emphasis on long-term physical health in the high-performance sports ecosystem.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Antim Panghal’s ability to win a national title in a new weight category is a testament to her world-class adaptability, sending a message of hope and resilience to all aspiring athletes.
Her pragmatic decision to prioritise physical well-being by temporarily avoiding weight cuts, a statement which should resonate with official bodies, sets a positive example for athlete welfare in Indian sport.
While Haryana’s dominance is undeniable, the success of institutions like RSPB proves that strong, decentralised development pathways are essential.
