What are the top achievements of Asian Wrestling Championships silver medalist Antim Panghal?

The youngster is touted as the next big thing in Indian women's wrestling.

Antim Panghal won the silver medal in the 53 KG Women's Wrestling category of the Asian Wrestling Championships 2023. The 19-year-old, with the medal, continues to make big waves, consequently being touted as the next big thing in women's wrestling in India.

The youngster lost to the highly-rated Japanese wrestler Fujinami in the final through the technical superiority rule. We take a look at the list of top achievements of Antim Panghal.

Here are the top achievements of Antim Panghal:

Silver at U-23 Asian Championships 2022

In 2022, Antim Panghal participated in four international events across four age groups. It was a near-perfect season, with 16 wins and only one setback, which occurred at the 2022 U23 Asian Championships, when she settled for silver after losing to Uzbekistan's Aktenge Keunimjaeva, the 2018 Junior World Championships silver medalist.

Bronze Medal at 2023 World Wrestling Championships and Asian Games 2023

The youngster clinched her maiden world championships medal by winning bronze and thereby went onto secure Olympic quota for India in women's 53kg category. She was the lone Indian to win a medal and secure a quota at the World Championships. A few days later she won bronze at Asian Games 2023.

Gold Medal at Zouhaier Sghaeir

She earned gold medals in the U20 World Championships, U20 Asian Championships, and the senior category Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series. Panghal has also been nominated for the United World Wrestling 2022 Rising Star of the Year award. 

Amit Elor of the United States, Emma Malmgren of Sweden, Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, and Andreea Ana of Romania are the five women nominated for the United World Wrestling 2022 Rising Star of the Year award, in addition to Antim Panghal.

Junior Asian Champion in 53 kg Division

Haryana's 19-year-old freestyle wrestler is also the defending Junior Asian champion in the 53kg weight class. Prior to Antim, six Indian wrestlers had reached the junior world meet finals in the previous 44 editions, but none had won gold.

Silver medal at Senior Asian Wrestling Championships

Antim Panghal of India won silver in the 53kg event at the 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, after falling 10-0 to Japanese sensation Akari Fujinami. The medal also brings into sharp focus the primary issue surrounding Indian wrestling.

Fujinami, the defending world champion, easily retained her Asian gold on Wednesday. The 19-year-old led 4-0 in the first minute before winning the match in the first round.

The 19-year-old had won two bouts by VFA (victory by fall) and one by VPO (victory by points) to reach the final, but she was no match for the world's most remarkable. Fujinami has won 114 consecutive bouts (her last defeat was in 2017) and has not conceded a single point in a senior international competition.

Antim, the U20 World Champion last year (Fujinami missed the tournament due to injury), was playing in only her second major international tournament.

First Indian to be crowned U-20 World Champion

Antim Panghal made history in August by becoming India's first gold medalist at the World U20 Wrestling Championships 2022.

She not only won the gold, but she also won the 53kg weight class. She defeated Germany's U20 European champion Amory Olivia Andrich 11-0 in the first round, pinned Japan's Ayaka Kimura in the quarterfinals, and won the semifinal with technical superiority over Ukraine's Nataliia Klivchutska.

Altyn Shagayeva of Kazakhstan was defeated 8-0 in the final by Antim, who used her counters flawlessly. She started with a double leg attack before attempting an outside head for another takedown.