The crowd at the Prince Hamzah Hall in Amman, Jordan, held its breath. Manisha Bhanwala, the underdog in the 62kg women’s wrestling final at the Asian Championships, was trailing 2-7.
On the mat stood Kim Ok Ju, a formidable North Korean opponent, fresh off a dominant win over Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki. Victory seemed a distant dream. But if there was one thing Manisha had mastered over the years, it was the art of defying the odds.
The Final Battle: From Bronze to Gold
As the clock ticked down, a fire ignited within Manisha. Memories of years of struggle, sacrifice, and heartbreak flashed before her eyes. She had won three consecutive bronze medals at the Asian Championships (2022, 2023, and 2024), but gold had always eluded her. This was her moment.
With sheer determination, she launched an unexpected counter-attack. A quick move, a perfect grip, and in an instant, Kim was down.
The referee’s whistle blew, and the Indian camp erupted in celebration. Against all expectations, Manisha had turned the tide, flipping a five-point deficit into a golden victory.
A Journey Born from Loss and Determination
This victory was more than just a medal—it was the culmination of years of perseverance. Manisha’s journey into wrestling had been unplanned. Back in 2015, she was just a teenager in Rohtak, Haryana, looking to lose weight and stay disciplined. Wrestling was merely a fitness routine, not a career aspiration.
But fate had other plans. Within a year, she struck gold at the Cadet World Championships in Georgia (2016), followed by a victory at the South Asian Games. A bronze at the Commonwealth Championships and a silver at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships marked her rapid rise. By 2018, she had claimed gold at the World Military Games in China.
A Hard Choice: Wrestling Over Job Security
Despite her early success, the road was far from easy. To secure financial stability, she took up a job in the Paramilitary forces. However, the lack of proper training facilities affected her performance. The hunger for gold was stronger than the comfort of a steady job. In a bold move, Manisha resigned, putting everything on the line for her sport.
Then came the biggest personal blow—April 17, 2022. The day she was to leave for the Asian Championships, she lost her father. Grief-stricken but resolute, she still competed and secured a bronze medal. The pain of that loss became her driving force.
Rise of a Champion
The next two years saw Manisha dominate the domestic circuit, winning back-to-back golds at the National Games. But the Asian Championships gold remained elusive.
That changed in Amman. From defeating Kazakhstan’s Tynys Dubek and Korea’s Hanbit Lee in the early rounds to overcoming Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy 5-1 in the semis, Manisha was unstoppable. But her final match against Kim Ok Ju defined her career—a dramatic comeback, an underdog story, a statement to the world.
A New Era for Indian Wrestling
Manisha’s triumph is India’s biggest wrestling achievement since the Olympics. In a sport where expectations often weigh heavy, she proved that resilience and heart matter more than reputation.
As she stood atop the podium, gold draped around her neck, the Indian national anthem playing in the background, Manisha Bhanwala knew—this was just the beginning.
