World Wrestling Championships: Antim Panghal rocks World silver medallist for semis berth to keep India's medal hopes alive; Jyoti, Radhika knocked out

Antim Panghal kept India's medal hopes alive by securing a place in the women's 53kg semifinals on a dramatic fifth day of the World Wrestling Championships 2025 in Croatia on Wednesday, September 17. In a nail-biting finish, she executed a decisive takedown move in the final moments to defeat China's Jin Zhang, a World silver medallist. While Antim advanced, it was the end of the road for her compatriots, Radhika and Jyoti Beriwal, who were both eliminated from the tournament.

Antim Panghal enters World Wrestling Championships semifinal

The young Antim, who is aiming for her second World Championship medal, had a straightforward start to her campaign, needing just 23 seconds to knock out Spain's Carla Jaume Soner. However, her next opponent, Jin Zhang, proved to be a formidable challenger. In a closely contested bout, Antim managed to secure a narrow 9-8 victory. She started strong, scoring her first two points by off-balancing Zhang with a double-leg takedown. The Indian wrestler then doubled her lead with a powerful headlock that she successfully converted into another takedown, despite fierce resistance from her Chinese rival.

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Aiming for her second World Championship medal, Antim Panghal began her campaign with a dominant performance, knocking out Spain's Carla Jaume Soner in just 23 seconds. However, her next bout against Jin Zhang of China proved to be a much tougher challenge, which she narrowly won with a score of 9-8.

Antim started strong, scoring her first two points by off-balancing Zhang with a double-leg takedown. She quickly doubled her lead with a powerful headlock that she converted into another takedown, despite Zhang's fierce resistance. A further two-pointer from a body-lock position on the edge of the circle put Antim ahead 6-0. Zhang managed to score her first points to reduce the deficit to 6-2, and although she looked poised to inflict more damage, she couldn't get a proper grip to execute a leg lace. In the second period, Zhang continued to pressure Antim with a headlock and reduced the margin with a right-leg move before eventually leveling the score by rolling Antim.

After Jin Zhang successfully rolled Antim Panghal, she tried to pin the Indian wrestler. Antim managed to escape, but Zhang earned two more points for her effort, giving her a two-point lead at 8-6. Antim then pushed Zhang out of the circle, adding one more point to her score. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the bout, Antim needed one final move, and she delivered with just three seconds left, securing her a spot in the semifinals. Antim's next challenge is against the Paris Olympics silver medalist, Lucia Yepez Guzman of Ecuador.

In another quarterfinal bout, Manisha Bhanwala was decisively defeated 8-0 by Ok Ju Kim of North Korea. Manisha's hopes of a medal now rest on her opponent, as she will get a chance to compete in the repechage round if Kim advances to the final.