Asian Games 2026: Antim Panghal wins silver in women’s 53kg wrestling
Antim clinched her maiden Asiad silver
India’s Antim Panghal secured a silver medal in the women’s freestyle 53kg wrestling event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, October 3.
The 22-year-old wrestler from Bhagana lost 1-9 to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka in the gold medal bout at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. Despite this loss, she took home a silver medal, adding to the bronze she won at the Hangzhou 2022 Games.
Interestingly, this marked India’s first-ever Asiad silver in the women’s 53kg freestyle event. Her medal was the sixth won by Indian wrestlers at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, as well as the first won by an Indian female wrestler.
Related: Wrestling at Asian Games 2026: India’s full list of medal winners, medal tally, results
Antim Panghal loses to former world champion
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Despite entering the final following a series of brilliant performances at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, Antim found it hard to get going against world No. 19 Kiyooka, who is a former World Championships gold medallist.
The bout started in a cagey fashion, but the Japanese wrestler got the first breakthrough and built a big lead. As the clock ran down, Antim was forced on the attack, but the youngster conceded several points to the experienced Kiyooka.
Also Read: Aman Sehrawat clinches gold in men’s freestyle 57kg wrestling
Despite this heartbreaking loss, Antim had a campaign to remember at the 20th Asian Games. She began her campaign with a 9-0 win against Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek before beating Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova 8-0.
She then defeated Asian Championships gold medallist Zhang Jin of China 6-1, securing a place in the gold medal bout against Kiyooka.
What did Antim Panghal win at Asian Games 2026?
She won the silver medal in the women’s freestyle 53kg wrestling event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Who did Antim Panghal lose to in the 2026 Asian Games final?
Antim lost 1-9 to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka in the women’s freestyle 53kg gold medal bout.
How many Asian Games medals does Antim Panghal have?
Antim has two Asian Games medals: silver at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and bronze at Hangzhou 2022.
What is India’s medal tally in wrestling at Asian Games 2026?
The Indian wrestling contingent finished with six medals—2 gold, silver and bronze medals each.
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